From News Dispaches CHANDIGARH— The UAD (Mann) is believed to have decided to approach the Election Commission for its registration as a political party without carrying out any amendments in the party Constitution required under the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act. Although there is no official word about the decision taken by the Working Committee of the party which met on August 12. Informed sources say the broad consensus in the party was against amending the Constitution.

An informal meeting of senior party leaders held on Thursday had arrived at a similar decision.

The party,, these sources say, will attach with its application to the Election Commission a copy of its writ pending before the Supreme Court through which it challenged the Act. It will request the Commission to await the outcome of the Supreme Court decision before taking a final decision before taking a final decision on its application for registration.

The UAD (Mann) contention that in a democratic set up no political party can be forced to owe allegiance to the doctrine of Sscialism. The “Mini te Piri”, it argues is fundamental Sikhism and no Sikh can accept! the proposal to separate the two. Party sources say there is no merit in the Akali Dal (L)’s claim that since the latter figures in the records of the Election Commission no other Akali Dal can be registered as such. These sources recall that the Commission had at one Stage recognized two Lok Dals and three Congress parties.

“The name of a party is not a trade mark which no else can use”, points out a senior leader of the Party.

ONLY DISPUTE The only dispute, the party feels, can be over the allotment of the Akali Dal’s symbol. That issue will be tackled at an appropriate time, the sources add.

Insiders say a number of persons opposed the move to get the party registered with the Election Commission. Their view was that it was an exercise in futility as the party was not prepared to amend its constitution to fulfill the obligations required of all parties under the amended law.

There is realization in the party that the commission may ultimately reject its application. The party may challenge such a decision in courts to carry on its legal battle against “democratic” aspects of the amended law.

‘The consensus in the party is in favor of contesting the forthcoming elections to the Lok Sabha even if the UAD (Mann) is not Registered by the commission, Partymen, in that case, any contest as Independents. Such as eventuality will provide the party with an opportunity to tell the Sikh masses that the Center was conspiring to push the Sikhs out of the national mainstream by refusing to recognize the UAD (Mann) as a political party.

Another issue which came up for discussion at the meeting of the working committee was a proposal to constitute a small committee of eminent Sikhs to work for Akali unity. Several names are being mentioned in this connection. Prominent among those who might be requested to take up this arduos job are Mr. Ajit Singh Sarhadi, Mr. GS. Grewal, Mr. Ajit Singh Bains and Gen Narinder Singh Dhillion, Vice-president of the Haryana and Punjab Sikh Lawyers Association, on Monday claimed that Mr. Gurcharan Singh Tohra was dead set against any “addition” to the party constitution to seek registration with the Election Commission.

 

Mr. Dhillon said he had called on Mr. Tohra, lodged in Nidampur Test house in Sangrur district, to know his views on the UAD (T) effort to seek registration with the commission.

Mr. Ranjit Singh Riar, President of the city unit of the UAD(7), said in a statement that Mr. Parkash Singh Badal was optimistic about unity among Akali factions and of major Opposition parties in the country.

Article extracted from this publication >>  August 18, 1989