The Ludhiana (Urban) president of the party Bhupinder Singh Bhinda also quit the party. As Youth Akali Dal members held a protest in front of the Shiromani Akali Dal office against Badal’s resignation, Bhundar said that he would hold discussions with all stakeholders on the issue. “We will hold discussions on this issue. A SAD president always goes with the sentiments of the party workers,” he said. On Saturday, Sukhbir Singh Badal submitted his resignation to the party’s working committee to pave the way for the election of the new president of the SAD. Badal’s decision to step down followed his recent appeal to the Akal Takht (Highest Temporal body of Sikhs) Jathedar (High Priest) to announce his punishment regarding charges of religious misconduct. More than two months have passed since he was declared “tankhaiya” (guilty of religious misconduct). Sources said in 1995 Parkash Singh Badal became the party president as earlier Surjit Singh Barnala was the party chief from 1985 to 1995 and Badal had then floated his own Akali Dal faction (Badal) which he later merged with the party. In 2008 Sukhbir Singh Badal became the party president as he took command of the party from his father elder Badal. He was then the youngest chief of the party at the age of 45 years. Earlier on August 29, Sukhbir had appointed senior party leader Balwinder Singh Bhundar as the working president of the party. On August 30, Sukbir Singh Badal was declared ‘tankhaiya’ for the mistakes committed by his party’s government from 2007 to 2017 when he was deputy chief minister and SAD president, taking decisions which affected the party and caused damage to Sikh interests. He had sought unconditional forgiveness for all mistakes committed when the SAD was in power in Punjab. In his letter earlier, Sukhbir had said he was a “humble servant” of the Guru and dedicated to the Guru Granth Sahib and the Akal Takht. The former Punjab deputy chief minister had submitted his explanation on July 24. Earlier a section of the party leaders raised a banner of revolt against Badal and this rebel faction has launched the Akali Dal Bachao Lehar. The demand for Badal to step down from the post of party chief, later these rebel leaders were shown the door from the party. In July this year party expelled eight senior rebel leaders from its primary membership for “indulging in anti-party activities”. These were Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Sikander Singh Maluka, Surjit Singh Rakhra, Surinder Singh Thekedar and Charanjit Singh Brar.
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