Badal retained Akali Dal chief, action against Tohra faction soon

AMRITSAR, JUNE 15: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was today unanimously retained as president of the Akali Dal and an overwhel...

AMRITSAR, JUNE 15: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was today unanimously retained as president of the Akali Dal and an overwhelming majority of delegates at a party convention empowered him to take action against rebels while endorsing the expulsion of ousted SGPC chief G S Tohra.

Of the 421 delegates attending the convention 392 voted in favour of Tohra after Union Food and Fertilisers Minister S S Barnala moved a resolution to retain Badal as the party’s chief till a new general house was elected after party elections to be held following completion of new enrolment on September 8.

Badal later told media persons that a meeting of the Akali Dal’s political affairs committee on June 19 would decide about action against the rebels.

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The convention, Badal said, made it amply clear that his was the real Shiromani Akali Dal as it has an overwhelming strength of delegates on its side.’

Tohra, who was expelled from the party on May 14 and formed his own breakaway Akali Dal on May 30, claims that his is the real Akali Dal’.

Some changes could also be made in the party’s working committee if required, Badal said, adding, the party had also empowered him to find replacements for Tohra and Surjan Singh Thekedar.

Through another resolution, the delegates expressed confidence in Badal’s leadership and strongly condemned Tohra for hobnobbing with the Congress’ and harming the prospects of the Akali Dal and the SAD-BJP government.

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They also endorsed the appointment of Puran Singh as the jathedar of Akal Takht.

Puran Singh was appointed jathedar earlier this year after Ranjit Singh was removed from the top seat of Sikh temporal authority on charges of gross misconduct and creating a wedge between the clergy.