SAD to convene emergency meeting on Oct 24

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has announced to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the current political situation and the orders of the highest temporal seats barring Sukhbir Singh Badal to lead the party in the campaign for the upcoming bypolls.

The meeting of the working committee and district presidents of the party will be held at the party headquarters in Chandigarh on Thursday.

“The current political situation will be discussed in detail at the meeting. It will be presided over by working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar,” SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema wrote on his X handle, adding that the fall out of the orders of the highest temporal seats will also be discussed.

Sukhbir Singh Badal’s plan to lead the SAD’s campaign in the November 13 assembly byelections in Dera Baba Nanak, Barnala, Chabbewal (SC) and Gidderbaha came a cropper with Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh saying that a tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) remains one. until the tankhah (religious punishment) is not awarded by the Panj Singh Sahiban (five Sikh clergymen). The clergy is expected to meet after Bandi Chhod Diwas (Diwali).

Being a tankhaiya, Sukhbir cannot take part in public activities of the SAD nor can he lead the party during the elections, though he attended the party events a few days ago and his public activities were objected to by rebel leaders.

Cheema had said that Badal was declared tankhaiya two months and since then, he has been spending time at home avoiding public engagements. “But now the bypolls are approaching and we want Badal to lead the party’s charge,” he said.

“People from Gidderbaha have been thronging Badal’s residence, urging him to lead the SAD campaign. We are strong in all four constituencies, and our workers want us to contest all four seats and Sukhbir to lead us,” he added.