AMRITSAR: By not including mranjit Singh Mannin the 18member working committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal, party president Prakash Singh Badal has dealt a blow to the hardliners, according to political observers here.
Mr. Mann has been excluded from the party setup for his adherence to the “Amritsar declaration” and his refusal to accept the earlier Anandpur Sahib resolution as the political goal of the party. The “Amritsar declaration” was adopted by the erstwhile Akali Dal (Amritsar)at the Akal Takht here on May 1 last year.
While all other senior Akali leaders, including Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Jogdev Singh Talwandi and Surjit Singh Barnala, agreed who abjure the “Amritsar declaration,” Mann and his followers remained adamant.
According to Akali sources, Badal’s. decision to exclude Mann from the party working committee is likely to intensify efforts of the Mann factions separate identity among: s. If Mann decides to break away from the Shiromani Akali Dal, ‘Akali politics would be distinctly divided between the moderates and the hardliners.
Mann came into prominence in 1989 when he was appointed president of the then Unified Akali Dal. Since militancy was at its peak those days, Mann’s line of thinking gained considerable support, His position was strengthened after the Akali Dal under his leadership won seven parliamentary seats the same year.
Mann remained a popular Akali leader till militancy ruled the roost. It ‘was around 1993 that Badal again started gaining mass support as normalcy returned in the state, Badal’s moderate line of thinking struck immediate popularity among the Sikhs who looked worn out after the decade long violence in the state. The victory of Badal’s candidates in the ‘Ajnala and Gidderbaa vidhan sabha by-elections further strengthened his position among the Akalis while the hardliners, led by Mann and the Babbar Akali Dal, found no favorites among the Sikhs.
‘Mann’s supporters were reported to have worked surreptitiously in the Gidderbaha by election to muster support for the hardline candidate, Even in the recent Delhi Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee elections, Mann did not join hands with Badal.
In the recent past, Badal is reported to have held prolonged talks with Mann and his supporters to iron out their differences on the “Amritsar declaration.” Mann’s supporters feel that it was “a part of the long drawn out strategy to isolate Mann among the Akalies.”
Article extracted from this publication >> August 11, 1995
