Punjab: Sacked Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib Giani Harpreet Singh on Friday termed the month-long membership drive launched by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as “fake” and said he would not hesitate to join active politics if he was “forced” to do so. The statement came four days after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) sacked Giani Harpreet Singh from the post over allegations of “moral misconduct”. The membership drive launched by the Akali Dal had come under criticism after the party rejected a seven-member panel formed by the Akal Takht to conduct the drive, following which the party was to be reconstituted. The panel formed by the temporary seat comprised rebel Akali leaders who had launched a movement – Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar – demanding leadership change and reforms in the party.
Questioning the SAD’s drive, Giani Harpreet Singh said fake members were being inducted into the party. He said when all party leaders were united, the SAD had got only 18 lakh votes in last year’s Lok Sabha elections. “How can the SAD now claim to have made 35 lakh members? This drive seems fake,” he told reporters. He said though he had no political aspirations, he would not hesitate to try his hand in active politics. “I am a student of religion. But if the ‘bhagoda dal’ (referring to the SAD for not following the Akal Takht’s directives) forces me to come on the political pitch, I will not hesitate,” he said. He also criticised SAD working president Balwinder Singh Bhunder for not attending a meeting called on February 13 by a panel constituted by the Takht on the membership drive. “The SAD was formed keeping in mind Sikh politics and ethics. It was a regional party that set an example for other regional organisations,” he said. Over time, it has compromised its principles.” The sacked jathedar said Akali leaders who fought for the Panth were “sidelined and replaced” by those involved in illegal sand mining and drug trafficking.
