M A I N   N E W S

SAD expels Talwandi
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 10
In a clear signal to detractors, the Political Affairs Committee of the SAD today expelled its Disciplinary Action Committee Chairman, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, and Sant Veer Singh Madhoke, who had contested for the post of SGPC chief as a rebel candidate against the official nominee, Mr Kirpal Singh Badungar, from the primary membership of the party.

The PAC has also decided to initiate strict disciplinary action against those SGPC members who had shifted their loyalties to rival factions at the time of the annual elections of the SGPC’s office-bearers.

In yet another significant development, the PAC has decided to observe ‘rasta roko’ on February 10 next year as part of its offensive against the Congress government.

After Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Mr Talwandi is the second veteran Akali leader to have been shown the door for defying the SAD chief. Earlier, Mr Talwandi had dared Mr Badal to expel him from the party. Mr Talwandi had also threatened to damage Mr Badal politically if he expelled him from the party.

In a unanimous resolution passed by the PAC it was alleged that Mr Talwandi had been black-mailing the party for vested interests. It said Mr Talwandi who was given the coveted post of the DAC Chairman had indulged in gross indiscipline and lowered the prestige of the party.

The resolution further alleged that Mr Talwandi had been conspiring with the ‘anti-Panthic’ forces and had been deliberately abstaining from crucial PAC meetings.

Another resolution condemned the alleged police entry into the SGPC complex on the eve of the annual elections of the SGPC’s office-bearers. The PAC flayed the Congress government for launching a ‘so-called’ anti-encroachment move in which cases were registered against the Akali leaders alone. “It is sheer political vendetta that cases were registered against the Akali MLAs without caring for the people’s mandate”.

Through yet another resolution, the PAC asked the Union Home Ministry to expedite cases against those who had engineered the anti-Sikh riots in November, 1984. The resolution regretted that the victims had been running from pillar to post to seek justice, but in vain.

Without naming the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal, a resolution condemned the leadership for ‘hatching a conspiracy’ against the SAD with the support of the Congress.

The PAC also sought immediate resignation of Capt Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister as he had no ‘moral right’ to remain on the post after sending the police into the SGPC complex.

The committee also issued a warning to bureaucrats ‘harassing’ leaders and workers of the party at the behest of the Congress government. The PAC asked them not to act in a partisan manner.

The meeting also sounded a note of warning to the state government for resorting to ‘anti-Panthic’ activities.

‘Rasta roko’ on February 10

The Political Affairs Committee of the SAD had chalked out a programme to gherao the Punjab Civil Secretariat on February 10 next year as part of its phased agitation. However, it was changed to ‘rasta roko’ at the eleventh hour. The SAD did not given a satisfactory reply as to why the programme had been changed from gheraoing the Secretariat to ‘rasta roko’.