A day after the core committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was reconstituted, senior party leader and former MP Jagmeet Brar raised a banner of revolt against the party in protest against senior leaders being dropped from the committee.
Brar announced on Wednesday the formation of a “panel” of senior leaders who have been seeking change in the leadership and policies. The former MP said the aim of the group called ‘SAD Unity Coordination’ panel was only to strengthen the party and prepare a roadmap of revival with the focus on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
He stayed clear of directly seeking ouster of Sukhbir Badal from the post of the president but alleged that he was opposing the unconstitutional decisions taken by the leadership in the recent past. “I am not questioning the service and sacrifice rendered by the Badal family to the party, but 55 years of dominance of one family was a lot of time. The decisions that have been taken are not as per the constitution of the party,” alleged Brar.
Siding with the expelled party leader, Bibi Jagir Kaur, who contested in the SGPC presidential elections on her own, Brar said her expulsion was unconstitutional. “The language and treatment meted out to her and language used against her was inappropriate,” alleged Brar.
He also supported SAD media advisor Harcharan Bains who is longer the national advisor to the party president. “Bains has given his life to the party. He deserves respect.”
Announcing the expansion of the Unity Panel, Brar claimed 12 members have been added to it, including Adesh Pratap Kairon, who is the son-in-law of SAD chief patron Parkash Singh Badal but has been sidelined by the party leadership. He did not figure in the SAD meetings or the two committees announced by the party on Wednesday.
The other members include Jagir Kaur, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Ravikaran Singh Kahlon, Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala, Gaganjit Singh Barnala, Sukhwinder Singh Aulakh, Alwinder Singh Pakhoke, Begum Praveen Nusrat, Harbans Singh Manjhpur, Amandeep Singh Mangat and Narinder Singh Kaleka.
Brar said the expanded panel would meet on December 9 to chalk out the revival plan for the party before the Lok Sabha elections. He said he has talked to all the leaders who wanted party’s fortunes to turn.
“The SAD had dissolved the organisational structure after the poll debacle but people and party workers ask if the image of the party has improved in any way since then,” commented Brar.
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