SAD expels Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa for indulging in anti-party activities

Punjab News: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) disciplinary committee today expelled party Patron Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa from the primary membership of the SAD for indulging in anti-party activities including taking on the leadership of expelled leaders.

A decision to this effect was taken unanimously by a three member party disciplinary committee which was presided over by its Chairman Balwinder Singh Bhundur and included both the other two members – Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Gulzar Singh Ranike.

Briefing Mediapersons about the decision, Mr Maheshinder Grewal said “the committee was of the opinion that Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa was not upholding the honour of his post. He was not only issuing unauthorized statements but was also acting against the party’s constitutions and its rich and glorious traditions”. He said the disciplinary committee also took into account the various statements issued by Mr Dhindsa in the recent past as well as the manner in which he took on the leadership of the eight expelled party leaders yesterday.

Disciplinary committee chairman Balwinder Singh Bhundur said Mr Dhindsa had forced the party to take this action. He said the party on its part had invited all the disgruntled party leaders to attend party meetings and discuss their misgivings in the party forum. “Instead of doing this the disgruntled leaders became part of a conspiracy scripted in Nagpur to weaken and divide the party. These leaders have even given credence to the wild allegations of the main perpetrator of the sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in 2015. When due action was taken against them Mr Dhindsa sought to come to the rescue of the leaders and even tried to mislead the party cadre by asserting he had overruled the same. Now the party has taken definite action against Mr Dhindsa to set the record straight”.

Meanwhile the disciplinary committee members said indiscipline would not be tolerated at any cost even as it appealed to Punjabis to shun opportunist persons who had entered into a conspiracy with agencies to weaken the party.

The Committee also made it clear that it was working as per the party’s constitution and that it had been entrusted to take required actions by the powers vested by the Working Committee in SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. The Committee members said the expelled leaders were free to requisition a meeting of the Working Committee even as they asserted that 98 per cent of the Working Committee members had reposed faith in the leadership of Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Meanwhile Mr Maheshinder Grewal clarified that the post of party patron was an honorary one and that the latter did not have any power to take any decision on behalf of the party. He also dismissed Mr Dhindsa’s contention that the expelled leaders had tried to initiate a reform movement in the party. “Building a parallel organization along with a Presidium can only be considered as an anti-party activity”, he said adding Mr Dhindsa had as disciplinary committee chairman expelled then SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra from the party for appealing to Mr Parkash Singh Badal to appoint an Acting President of the party. He also cited how Mr Dhindsa did not find anything wrong with Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal’s conduct when he rejoined the party on March 5 this year but started questioning the latter’s leadership when his son Parminder Dhindsa was not given the party ticket from Sangrur.

Mr Grewal while speaking about the role of another expelled leader – Prem Singh Chandumajra – said the latter had approved Operation Black Thunder as a cabinet minister in 1985 and had even hailed the “maafi” given to the Dera Sirsa head. He said for Chandumajra the party president was good till the latter acceded to all his demands including two assembly seats for his family and a Lok Sabha ticket for himself even though he had no natural right over the same