CHANDIGARH: Rebel Shiromani Akali Dal leaders today met Akal Takht (Highest Temporal seat of Sikhs) Jathedar (High priest) Giani Raghbir Singh and sought directions to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to maintain the sanctity of the seven-member committee constituted by Akal Takht to revive the party.The two members of the Akal Takht-formed seven member committee Gurpratap Singh Wadala and Santa Singh Umaidpuri met the Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh and told him that the party leadership is non-committal in implementing the directives issued by the Akal Takht last month.After meeting the Jathedar at his office in Golden temple complex in Amritsar, Wadala said that he (Jathedar) had declared that only the seven-member committee had been entrusted with the responsibility of revamping the party. As per the directive of the Jathedar they have also submitted a letter to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami requesting to hold the meeting of the committee that was headed by him.He further said that despite clear instructions given by Singh that only the seven-member committee constituted by Akal Takht can start the membership drive and revamp the party and that these directions would have to be abided by in toto, the Akali Dal just chose to ignore them. “That is why we had no option left but to meet the Jathedar who specifically told us that only the seven member committee appointed by the Akal Takht has been authorized to chalk out and oversee the membership drive in the party,” claimed Wadala.The other members of the committee included former SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badhungar, Iqbal Singh Jhunda, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpuri and Satwant Kaur.Recently Singh has shown his “displeasure ‘’ saying that the Shiromani Akali Dal is yet to implement the December 2 edict ‘in toto’ and that the body cannot overlook the seven-member committee set up to reorganise the party. He had asked the party to immediately make operational the panel headed by SGPC Dhami.While pronouncing ‘tankhah’ to former Shiromani Aklai Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and other guilty party leaders on December 2, last year, Giani Raghbir Singh had announced from the ‘faseel’ of Akal Takht that ae seven-member committee headed by SGPC chief Dhami will oversee the new membership drive in the party ad reorganise the party structure, appointment of fresh delegates in addition to the existing ones and members within a span of six months.
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