AMRITSAR: The Akali politics took a significant tum on May 1 with the Akall Takht Jathedar Manjit Singh announcing the merger of six Akali factions and dissident leaders of the Badal faction and formation of a new party christened as Shiromani Akali Dal with headquarters at Amritsar

The formation of the new party came into being after seven days of continuous deliberations held by front lie leaders of these factions and the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) president G.S. Tohra at Akal Takhat. In the presence of five Sikh high priests headed by the acting head priest of Akal Takht Manjit Singh they pledged to wage a struggle for a separate area (within India) where Sikhs can experience the glow of freedom

Addressing a large gathering at the Akal Takht at the culmination of the Akhand path started on Friday by these Akali leaders former Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala also announced the formation of six-member committees to run the affairs of the party.

One representative each of the six Akali factions involved in the unity have been taken on the committees They are Amarinder Singh (Akali Dal Panthic) Simranjit Singh Mann (Akali Dal Mann) Surjit Singh Barnala (Akali Dal Longowal) Jagdev Singh Talwandi (Akali Dal Talwandi) Manjit Singh (Akali Dal Manjit) and Jasmir Singh (Babar Akali Dal).

A fresh recruitment drive for the new party is being launched from June 15 which would go on till September end. After this new delegates chosen at various levels would elect a new leader of the party.

A breakaway group of the Akali Dal (B) led by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committees (SGPC) chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra has also joined the new party Tohra has in a tactical move preferred not to be a member of the impression that he was not hankering after the leadership of the new party.

Badal who has so far remained aloof from the unity effort sensing in it a conspiracy by the Tohra camp to side line him in Akali politics has mean+ while sought more time to appear before the Akal Takhat to clarify his stand The five Sikh high priests had on Saturday issued a joint statement directing him to appear before them on May 1 Two close associates of Badal Ranjit Singh Brahampura and Parkash Singh Majitha met the Akal Takht jathedar on Sunday evening and conveyed to him the Akall leaders message seeking two to three more days as currently he was at a distant place and also unwell

Meanwhile the five Sikh high priests have fixed May 6 as the fresh date for appearance of Badal before the Akal Takht to present his viewpoint remains the unity among various for of the Dal.

In the Amritsar declaration May 1998 read out by Jasmir Singh on the Secession the political goal and Policies of the new party were spelt SUL The single page declaration in Punjabi said that before partition of the country the Congress had promised to create a separate area in the Northwest of the country where the Sikhs could feel the glow of freedom but till today it had not been implemented.

It further said that India was a sub-Continent of different quoms cultures hence it needed to be bound in a nonfederal constitution under which each of these cultures could prosper. If the Indian government was not willing to grant such a nonfederal structure the Shiromani Akali Dal

Amritsar would be left with no other Option than to demand a sovereign State for the Sikhs The declaration read

In a pledge taken on the occasion the six members of the newly formed Committee undertook to forget all their differences from now on and work for the overall interests of the Sikhs. They also promised to abstain from name Calling among themselves under the conspiracy of anti-Panthic forces

Right from Gurcharan Singh Tohra who spoke first to Nihang leader Nihal Singh Harianbelan wale Sujit Singh Barnala Jasmir Singh Simranjit Singh Mann and Manjit Singh all the Speakers touched the pulse of the gathering by restoring to the old rhetoric that the Sikh panth was passing through a crucial phase and unity was the need of the hour

Former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal is likely to appear at Akal Takht on May 6 to present his view point on Akali unity.

Akal Takht acting jathedar Manjit Singh had earlier summoned Akali Dal (Badal) Ieaders to appear at Akal Takht on Monday. Dal (B) is the only party which has preferred to stay away from the unity talks According to sources the Dal (B) leaders has reservations on the political goal as adopted after the formation of unified Akali Dal at Amritsar in the morning. This being fell that the goal was vague and time had come to take a clear stand on this issue. This political goal is the same as outlined in the Anandpur Sahib Resolution of 1973. There had be on differences among the Akalis on this resolution as at Ieast two versions re in circulation.

Badal was hero in the morning for Some time He went underground after submitting his resignation from the party presidents hip The sources maintained that the party was unlikely to change its attitude towards Akali unity at the intervention of Akal Takht Dal (B) had taken the stand that the Akali unity was a political issue and as such the Sikh clergy Should not is involved in this process Moreover the move was primantly to isolate Badal Most important aspect boing cited is legal as the intervention of religious leaders in the party affairs might disqualify the Akalis from contesting the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in view of the recent Supreme Court Judgement.

The Ieaders are of the view that it is essentially a fight between Badal and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committees (SGPC) president Gurchanin Singh Tohra and it should be sorted out at the Level only.

Badal is likely to plead his case at Akal Takht on these very lines while categorically making it clear that he had the highest regard for the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs. Sources close to him said he would Speared Akal Takht with folded hand but with firm conviction that high priests should not involve themselves in this process.

With Akali Dal (Badal) Ieaders approaching Manjit Singh to seek more time for Badal to appear it is apparent that the party would not contest the Assembly by-elections. The last date for nominations in May 3. The party leaders arc of the view that Akali Dal (Badal) would support the candidates put up by unified Akali Dal to give a united fight to the Congress.

The party is likely to use this period of two or three days to mobilize masses

Article extracted from this publication >> May 6, 1994