Zee Exclusive- 'Original SAD means....'; Paramjit Singh Sarna leads movement to dethrone Badals

SAD(D) president Paramjit Singh Sarna hopes hoped that the acting Jathedar would intervene to restore the pristine glory of SAD. And if "he doesn’t issue directions to Badals then we will ourselves convene a meeting at Akal Takht and choose a new president," said Sarna.

Chandigarh: A movement to dethrone Badals from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) after its near decimation in the recently held Punjab assembly elections began after SAD(D) president Paramjit Singh Sarna held a meeting of prominent Sikh personalities to reach a common consensus against Badals and contemplate over the revival plans of original SAD.

While talking to Zee News on Monday (March 21), Paramjit Singh Sarna who is also a former president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) said, "by original SAD, we mean a SAD without the Badals and a SAD  that is  committed solely to the Panth and not to power politics."

Giving details of the meeting, he said the meeting was attended by over 70 significant Sikh personalities including Prof. Prithipal Singh Kapoor, Dr. SP Singh, Prof. Gurtej Singh, Dr. Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon, SGPC member Bibi Kiranjot Kaur,  Bir Davinder Singh, Dr. Swaran Singh, and others.

"We have urged the acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Harpreet Singh to direct Sukhbir Singh Badal to himself step aside from the presidentship of  SAD and instead cooperate to find a new president of SAD so that it could be resurrected for the greater welfare of Panth," said Sarna.

He said the hoped that the acting Jathedar would intervene to restore the pristine glory of SAD as he himself had expressed concern over SAD’s future after the result of Punjab assembly elections in which SAD led by Sukhbir Singh Badal had fallen to only 3 out of 117 seats in Punjab.

"And in case the acting Jathedar doesn’t issue directions to Badals then we will ourselves convene a meeting at Akal Takht and choose a new president," said Sarna.

Stating that the  Sikh intelligentsia expressed its grave concern over the complete decimation of the more than 100-year-old SAD, Sarna alleged,  "Badals plunged the SAD into its unprecedented crisis, what’s really worrisome is that because of the SAD's demise, the Sikhs have lost what was once their political voice in Punjab as well as national and at the international level."

Taking a dig at Sikh leaders like Manjinder Singh Sirsa who in the recent past had defected SAD(B) to join BJP and Harmeet Singh Kalka, Sarna alleged that both of them were hand in gloves and wanted to grab power in DSGMC. He also challenged both of them to seek a fresh mandate from Delhi's Sangat by holding fresh elections.  "Can they do that?" questioned Sarna.

The SAD(D) president informed that they had constituted a five-member committee that would soon hold its meeting in Chandigarh following which conventions would be held in all the cities of Punjab.