Akal Takht Jathedar summons SAD chief Sukhbir Badal to give explanation on rebels’ allegations

“According to a complaint received by Sri Akal Takht Sahib from some senior leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal, the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal has not represented the sentiments of the Panth. Therefore, the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal has been asked to personally appear at Sri Akal Takht Sahib and provide a written explanation of the charges within fifteen days. Additionally, clarification has been sought from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee regarding allegations made by some Akali leaders about spending 9 million on advertisements,” read the statement.

After the party’s humiliating defeat in the Parliament elections, several rebel SAD leaders appeared before the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, in Amritsar on July 1 and made serious allegations against Badal. The rebel group sought forgiveness for several incidents that led to “people’s disillusionment with the party when it was in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017”.

The rebel group also submitted a letter to Jathedar Giani Raghubir Singh blaming the SAD president for decisions that had allegedly harmed the party. Among the issues mentioned by the rebels are the pardoning of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim for wearing attire similar to that worn by Guru Gobind Singh, the 2015 Sri Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege issue, the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing, and the appointments of police officers.