Brahmpura sees BJP hand in Dhindsa move, feels ‘betrayed’
AMRITSAR: A day after a faction of dissident Akali leaders “elected” Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa as the SAD president, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD-Taksali) president and former MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura said he was seeing the BJP hand behind Dhindsa’s political move.
Dhindsa, along with his son and former state finance minister, was expelled from the SAD in February this year for “antiparty” activities. Dhindsa later joined hands with SAD (Taksali), which was formed by Brahmpura, Sekhwan and former MP Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala in December 2018.
“A few days ago, Dhindsa and Sewa Singh Sekhwan (former minister) had come to me. I informed Dhindsa that there had been talks that he was going to form a new party. I suggested him take over the reins of the SADTaksali. I offered to step down as the party president. To this, Dhindsa said he would let me know his decision in a couple of days, but he didn’t reply,” said Brahmpura over phone.
“At a function in Ludhiana on Tuesday, the stage secretary was seen saying I would also join the function, but he was lying. Dhindsa has betrayed me. I will expose him and his team in the coming days. People are saying that Dhindsa wants to make his son Parminder Punjab chief minister. I feel that he is being guided by the BJP’s central leadership, who are trying to increase their foothold in Punjab,” he said.
On Tuesday, the SAD accused Dhindsa of acting at the behest of the Congress. “Dhindsa is eyeing Hindu votes in Punjab and for this he would take BJP’s help. He even had a problem with the ‘Taksali’ word.”
Lashing out at Sekhwan, who was present with Dhindsa at Tuesday’s function in Ludhiana, Brahmpura said: “Sekhwan has betrayed me. He didn’t even inform me that he was joining Dhindsa. He is a proclaimed offender of the people of Punjab.”
He said his party will fight the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections as announced earlier. Sekhwan said: “As Brahmpura was not physically fit, we had asked him to dissolve the party and constitute its new team, but he was unwilling to do so.”
Meanwhile, former Akali MLA Mantar Singh Brar said he was not present at Dhindsa’s meeting in Ludhiana on Tuesday.