Chandigarh, Aug 12 (PTI) Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal Tuesday warned that it would file a criminal complaint against leaders of the breakaway faction for trying to misappropriate the name of the party, saying the SAD is a registered and recognized party under the Election Commission’s 1996 notification.
The party’s statement came a day after former Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh was unanimously elected as the president of the SAD’s breakaway faction in a meeting of the delegate session held in Amritsar.
The Akal Takht-appointed committee held the delegate session of the breakaway group of the SAD at Gurdwara Burj Akali Phoola Singh in Amritsar on Monday.
The rebel Akali leaders called their faction as the “real” SAD and dubbed the Badal-led outfit as the “Bhagora dal”, which defied the Akal Takht’s directive of reviving the SAD on December 2, 2024.
When asked about the name of the faction, Giani Harpreet Singh had said that it would be the Shiromani Akali Dal. He had also said that they would claim the SAD election symbol and the party office.
Speaking to the media here on Tuesday, Badal-led SAD’s senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema called the breakaway faction ‘Vakhra Chulha’ party and asked them not to try to “deceive” Punjabis by making false claims.
“At present 100 per cent delegates of the Shiromani Akali Dal are with the party,” he said.
Stating that all delegates of the SAD were elected after a due election following the end of the term of the previous working committee, Cheema said the members of the ‘Vakhra Chulha’ had not participated in the membership drive.
He went on to say that all members of the SAD had taken membership of the party after submitting a membership fee of Rs 10 which was applicable for five years.
“The separate group did not conduct a membership drive as per the constitution of the party which stipulates that every member has to pay a fee of Rs 10. Therefore, they have no right to call their party meeting a delegate session of the SAD and can be proceeded against for indulging in cheating and forgery,” he said.
He also termed the move as “illegal, unconstitutional and immoral” and said the SAD was consulting legal experts in order to file a formal criminal complaint in this regard.
Daljit Cheema also took on Giani Harpreet Singh for “violating” the ‘hukamnama’ of the Akal Takht Sahib issued on December 2, 2024, stating the separate group should close its “shop” and merge with the SAD in ‘Panthic’ interest.
Cheema said instead of doing this, Giani Harpreet Singh had gone ahead to “open a new shop”.
“It is extremely unfortunate and unbecoming that a person who has served as the Jathedar of the apex Sikh institution did not follow the directives written by himself,” he said.
The SAD leader also urged the media to act responsibly and accord due respect to democratic institutions.
Asserting that it was blatantly wrong to refer to Giani Harpreet Singh as the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Cheema said this had sent confusing signals in the public.
On the withdrawal of the land pooling policy by the AAP government after mounting pressure from farmer bodies and opposition parties, the SAD thanked people for giving enormous support to the SAD’s grassroot-level agitation to defeat AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s “conspiracy” to acquire 65,000 acres of fertile land.
It announced that the party would offer thanksgiving at the Akal Takht on August 31 under the leadership of Sukhbir Singh Badal. PTI CHS KVK KVK
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