To placate old guard, Akali Dal to honour taksali leaders

AMRITSAR : : With a section of the Taksali (old guard) leadership of the SAD set to form a new political outfit on Sunday, the party will honour other Taksali leaders still in its fold at its 98th Foundation Day celebrations. The day is being celebrated at historic gurdwaras in assembly segments across the state on December 14 (Friday).

Party patriach and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has asked former SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar to make a list of taksali leaders for their felicitation.

The move comes a couple of days after the SAD sought forgiveness at the Akal Takht by organising an ‘Akhand Path’ there for ‘inadvertent mistakes’.

The party’s move to placate the Taksali leadership comes after a revolt among them against the leadership of Sukhbir Singh Badal, especially in the Majha region, over pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Bargari sacrilege and using the Akal Takht and the SGPC for political ends.

The fallout of the revolt was that Khadoor Sahib MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, along with former minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan, and former MP Rattan Singh Ajnala were expelled for anti-party activities.

Former minister and Majitha MLA Bikram Singh Majithia

FORMER CM BADAL HAS ASKED EX-SGPC PRESIDENT KIRPAL SINGH BADUNGAR TO PREPARE A LIST OF TAKSALI LEADERS FOR FELICITATION

said, “Taksalis and active leaders, who have made sacrifices for the ‘Chardi Kala’ (the high spirit) of the Panth and the party, will be honoured at functions to be organised to celebrate the day.”

PROGRAMME CHANGED LAST WEEK

The party, which faced an unprecedented debacle in the last assembly elections in 2017, celebrated its 97th foundation day at the Gurdwara Manji Sahib Diwan Hall at the Golden Temple complex last year, after decades. Then, it had announced that the day would be celebrated in the same fashion every year.

This year, the party rank and file was asked to conduct an ‘Akhand Path’ (non-stop recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib) in any of the historic gurdwaras in each constituency. Religious functions will now be held on December 14.

“During a core-committee meeting last week, the SAD leadership changed its programme,” SAD spokesperson Virsa Singh Valtoha told HT.