January 21, 2025: Fact Recorder
The Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday launched its month-long membership drive from the Lambi Assembly constituency once held by the late former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, defying the Akal Takht that had formed a seven-member panel for it.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Parliamentary Board — the highest decision-making body of the party — also approved the appointment of Gulzar Singh Ranike to oversee the drive, a prelude to the organisational polls to be held on March 1.
The SAD board also stamped Ranike’s installation as the Chief Election Officer for the polls. “Ranike will oversee the entire process in consultation with the party observers,” said SAD working president Balwinder Singh Bhunder without referring to the panel formed by the Akal Takht — the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs.
Meanwhile, rebel Akali leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala termed the membership drive “ethically and morally incorrect”. He told reporters in Amritsar that the party “overlooked the sanctity of the Akal Takht- constituted committee”.
Wadala also met Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami, who he said “agreed that only the Akal Takht panel was authorised to carry out the membership drive”.
Wadala made the statement after he held a closed-door meeting with Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, who had earlier directed SAD to comply with the December 2 decree pronounced by the Sikh clergy “in totality”.
The Jathedar did not comment over the development when his office was approached for it.
The issue had snowballed into a major controversy after SAD rejected the Takht-constituted panel, saying it could not take orders from a religious body as it might lead to the party’s de-recognition.
In its decree, the temporal seat had held Sukhbir Singh Badal and several senior party leaders guilty of “religious misconduct” over issues concerning the Sikh community during the SAB-BJP rule in the state from 2007-17.
It had ordered the party to accept Sukhbir’s resignation from its chief’s post and initiate a six-month membership drive to restructure SAD, a demand rebel Akali leaders led by Wadala had been raising for quite some time to free the party from the grip of the Badals. Though the SAD working committee accepted Sukhbir’s resignation on January 10, it rejected the Takht-constituted panel led by Dhami.
Sukhbir ‘renews’ party membership for 5 years
In Lambi’s Badal village, Sukhbir inaugurated the drive by “renewing” his membership for five years. He filled the requisite form and deposited a fee of Rs 10 in cash for it. He and other members received an acknowledgment receipt as a proof of their membership.
SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said the party has aimed to make 50 lakh members, twice the number of members they currently have. He said the members will choose about 600 delegates, who will elect the party president and other office-bearers on March 1.
Under the membership procedure, existing members will also have to take membership again for a period of five years. Cheema said of all party members, 100 members will be eligible to become circle delegates, who in turn would elect the “Circle Jathedars”. “All those who enrol 2,500 delegates will become district delegates, and it would be the latter’s responsibility to elect the Zila Jathedars,” he added.
He said each constituency will nominate four delegates, who will form the general house and elect the president of the party.
