JALANDHAR: The announcement of 33 per cent reservation for women in the allocation of tickets for the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and Assembly polls by Prakash Singh Badal, president of the Shiromani ‘Akal Dal (SAD) along with the prospect of 17 reserved seats for women in elections for the three municipal corporations, has triggered off a vicious struggle for soil within the Istri Akali Dal. While one group is led by Surjit Kaur Bamala, wife of former Punjab Chief Minister, Surjit Singh Bamala (MP), the other faction owes allegiance to Shavinder Kaur Johal, the sitting president of the women’s wing, officially nominated by Badal.
Surjit Kaur has become active of late, organizing meetings of women Akali workers at several places to prepare them for the coming elections, a development which has been opposed by Johal. Matters came into the open at a function held here last week, where in the wad several SAD (B) MPs, Johal lashed out at “the interference of Surjit Kaur in the matters of the Istri Akali Dal.” Her sudden outburst took the Akali leaders by surprise and she was reprinted by Basant Singh Khalsa, MP and others for publicly airing her grievances.
Party sources say that even earlier, when one Vijay Sharma was sought to be made. District president of the women’s wing ostensibly on Surjit Kaur’s request. Johal had lashed out at the “undue interest taken by her in the affairs of the Istri Akali Dal.” Both sides are understood to be contacting their supporters and strengthening their respective networks within the organization. A meeting of the Istri Akali Dal held here on Aug. 13th passed a resolution, in which the workers have appealed to Surjit Kaur to extend support to Johal. She should forget internal differences and work to strengthen Badal’s hands.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 14, 1996
