Chandigarh, Oct 24 (PTI) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday said it will not contest the November 13 Punjab Assembly bypolls.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the SAD’s working committee and district presidents here.
The development comes a day after SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal failed to get any temporary relief from the Akal Takht, which has declared him ‘tankhaiya’ (person guilty of religious misconduct), for the “mistakes” committed by his party and government from 2007 to 2017.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, however, said the SAD can contest the bypolls and there is no restriction on it.
The four assembly seats going to polls in Punjab are Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala. The bypolls were necessitated after the MLAs representing the seats were elected to the Lok Sabha.
“We have decided that we will keep ourselves out of the bypolls to the four assembly seats in keeping with Panthic interests and the dignity and respect of the Panthic institutions,” senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema told reporters here.
A resolution to this effect was passed unanimously at the meeting of the party’s working committee, he said.
Cheema said SAD workers wanted Badal to contest from Gidderbaha as it was represented by party patriarch and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for a long time.
The party workers also wanted to contest the bypolls but after the jathedar’s order, it was clear that Badal could not fight the elections or take part in the poll campaign, he said.
“We can never go against the order of the Akal Takht,” he added.
Cheema said, “At today’s meeting there was an overwhelming feeling that party president Sukhbir Singh Badal had taken moral responsibility for all acts of omission and commission during the erstwhile SAD government on behalf of the party.” “It was felt by the working committee, district presidents and constituency incharges that since the head of the family (Badal) had been forbidden by Sri Akal Takht to participate in the by-elections, they too could not participate in the exercise. Everyone felt they should consider themselves as part of the SAD President’s family and act accordingly,” he said.
Cheema said the SAD was completely beholden to the Akal Takht and was resolute in its determination to obey all the directions of the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs.
“We also understand that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the State, the central government and the BJP and RSS have hatched a conspiracy to make the SAD leaderless. This conspiracy, under which Sikh institutions like Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib Trust have been snatched from us and a separate Gurdwara body has been formed in Haryana, is ongoing with attempts being made to influence the forthcoming elections to the President and executive committee of the SGPC in favour of the Sudhar Lehar group,” he said.
The Akal Takht Jathedar, however, said while Badal cannot be given permission for contesting polls, there is no restriction on his party.
“Only the SAD president cannot be given permission for contesting the polls as this matter is with the Akal Takht but the rest of the party can take part in these elections. There is no restriction of any kind on the party for contesting the elections,” Singh said in a video message.
A SAD delegation had met Singh on Tuesday and urged him to allow Badal to lead the party’s poll campaign.
Singh on Wednesday said that a “‘tankhaiya’ remains a ‘tankhaiya’ until ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) is awarded”.
The Sikh clergy is yet to award ‘tankhah’ to Badal.
After he was declared ‘tankhaiya’ by the Akal Takht on August 30, Badal had appeared before the highest temporal seat of Sikhs and sought forgiveness for the “mistakes” committed by his party and its government. PTI CHS VSD NB
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