DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Tuesday said it has decided to hold the general delegate session to elect its new president in Amritsar on April 12. The working committee meeting, which was presided over by party working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar, also decided to hold a political conference on the occasion of Baisakhi on April 13 at Talwandi Sabo.

It expressed its gratitude to Bhundar for leading the party effectively as its working president and praised him for dealing with all situations in a most mature and statesman-like manner, said a party statement.

The general delegate session will be held at the Teja Singh Samundari hall in the Sri Darbar Sahib complex.

In November last year, Sukhbir Singh Badal resigned from the party president post after he was declared 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) by the Akal Takht for "mistakes" committed by the SAD and its government from 2007 to 2017.

In January this year, his resignation was accepted by the working committee of the party. Later, the SAD conducted a new membership drive.

Party senior leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the working committee also expressed serious concern over the "deteriorating" law and order situation in Punjab with a series of bomb blasts, vandalising of the statues of B R Ambedkar as well as the grenade attack on the residence of senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia.

He said the working committee was of the considered view that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had "allowed the situation to go out of hand" and should resign immediately.

A blast occurred at Kalia's residence in Jalandhar early Tuesday when some unidentified persons hurled a hand grenade, shattering glass windows and damaging an aluminium partition, his SUV and a motorcycle in the courtyard.

The SAD leader said the working committee also condemned the Waqf amendments, alleging earlier the central government had also interfered in the functioning ofthe management boards of Sri Hazur Sahib and Takht Patna Sahib.

"Members were of the view that the government takeover of the Waqf Boards could be detrimental to the interests of the minority community and that this would increase polarisation in the country," said Cheema.

(editor@dailyworld.in)