DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday expelled its patron and senior leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa from primary membership for "anti-party activities".

The decision came a day after the senior Akali leader took on party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and rejected the expulsion of eight rebel leaders.

The Badal-led outfit earlier expelled eight leaders, including former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra and ex-Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, who revolted against the party chief, for alleged anti-party activities. The Shiromani Akali Dal had also expelled ex-MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala and former ministers Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Sikandar Singh Maluka, Surjit Singh Rakhra, Surinder Singh Thekedar and Charanjit Singh Brar.

A three-member disciplinary committee -- led by Balwinder Singh Bhundar -- on Thursday expelled Dhindsa, who was serving as the party patron, from its primary membership. The committee also included Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Gulzar Singh Ranike.

Bhundar told reporters here, "Today, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa has been ousted from the party." It was the party that had made him patron, Bhundar said.

Grewal said, "The disciplinary committee was of the opinion that Dhindsa was not upholding the honour of his post. He was not only issuing unauthorised statements but acting against the party's constitution and its rich and glorious traditions." The committee also took into account the various statements issued by Dhindsa in the recent past as well as the manner in which he took on the leadership of the eight expelled leaders.

Bhundar said Dhindsa had forced the party into taking action. The Shiromani Akali Dal had invited all the disgruntled leaders to attend meetings and discuss their misgivings in the party forum, he said. The committee members said indiscipline would not be tolerated at any cost and appealed to Punjabis to shun "opportunist" people who had entered into "a conspiracy with agencies to weaken the party". The panel also made it clear that it was working according to the party constitution and had been entrusted to take the required actions by the powers vested on it by the working committee.

The expelled leaders are free to request a meeting of the working committee, the panel said and asserted that 98 per cent of the working committee members had reposed faith in Badal's leadership.

Grewal said the post of party patron was an honorary one and did not have powers to take decisions on the Shiromani Akali Dal's behalf. He also dismissed Dhindsa's contention that the expelled leaders had tried to initiate a reform movement in the party. "Building a parallel organisation along with a presidium can only be considered an anti-party activity," he said.

Dhindsa did not find anything wrong with Badal's conduct when he rejoined the party on March 5 but started questioning his leadership when his son was not given the Lok Sabha election ticket from Sangrur, Grewal added.

Speaking about Chandumajra, he said the party president was good for him as long as he acceded to all his demands, including two assembly seat tickets for his family members and a Lok Sabha ticket for himself. A section of senior leaders revolted against Badal in June, demanding that he step down as party chief following the Shiromani Akali Dal's performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab. Among the prominent faces who revolted against Badal were Chandumajra, Kaur and Wadala, former ministers Maluka, Dhindsa, Rakhra and Sarwan Singh Phillaur, and party leader Sucha Singh Chhotepur.
(editor@dailyworld.in)