CHANDIGARH: Akali Dal split into two with dissidents forming a separate group of 27 legislators in the Vidhan Sabha. The split has reduced Barnala government to a minority. The speaker, Mr. Ravi Inder Singh recognized the dissent group as a separate political party and ruled that since the group consists of more than one third original Akali Dal members of the Vidhan Sabha, its members do not incur any disqualification under Para three of the tenth schedule of the constitution. The Punjab Cabinet, in an emergent meeting decided to seek the removal of the Speaker. Mr. Surjit Singh Barnala’s support now stands reduced 10.45 members, excluding the speaker, in a house of 116. One seat is vacant. The Barnala government has however no immediate threat its existence as the Congress I, B.W.J.P., and CPL. collectively having 31 members have already extended their support to the Chief Minister.

‘The group of twenty-seven dissidents includes the three ministers. Mr. Sukhjinder Singh, Captain Amarinder Singh, Mr. Such a Singh Chhotepur who were expelled from the Akali Dal, the same day for their anti-party activities. The ministers have challenged their ex-passion on the ground that they were not issued any show cause notice and described the decision as un-democratic, un-constitutional and illegal. The dissidents leaders Mr. Parkash S. Badal and ‘Sukhjinder Singh announced that the party could remain united if Mr. Barnala and Mr. Balwant Singh step down as they had committed unpardonable sin of sending the police in the Golden Temple. Mr, Barnala who headed the seventy-three strong Akali legislature party before the split has the support of at least two of the four independent MLA’S

‘The dissidents have initially scored a victory over the chief Minister in the battle of wits in getting the recognition as separate group though M. Barnala who is also the Alkali Dal president tried to preempt it by expelling the three former Ministers from the primary membership of the party for six years. The Chief Minister, who had got the wind of the dissidents’ move, presumed understandably that the expulsion would bar their entry into the dissidents’ group. Making it fall short of the one third number required to keep their membership of the legislature. It was known later that the dissidents had kept their plan a secret and approached the Speaker with a request for recognition much before the three ministers were expelled; the speaker apparently ignored the expulsion and granted the recognition.

The cabinet held an emergent meeting at the residence of the Chief Minister and sought the removal of the speaker on the ground that he had misused his high office, entered into a conspiracy to pull down democratically elected Barnala government. All the twenty nine ministers were present at the meeting. In a resolution, the cabinet said that the office of the speaker had become a place for intrigue and conspiracy. Mr. Ravi Inder has been using his office for destabilizing and pulling down the democratically elected government, He had been acting at the behest of the forces which were inimical to the interest of the state. ‘A statement from the Vidhan Sabha secretariat on the other hand said that to ensure that the members of the break-away group had signed the representation for recognition voluntarily or under pre sure Speaker heard each one of them one by one, each one of the twenty-seven members signed the petition individually, The Speaker’, statement said, that he had the received representation signed by members a day before their expulsion from the party in which they had said that as a result of political division of party, they have decided to form a separate group in the Vidhan Sabha.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 16, 1986