Four Hindu leaders to head Akali Dal’s district units

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18

Four Hindu leaders have been appointed district presidents of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as part of the party’s social engineering exercise. They are Satish Grover (Faridkot urban), Prem Kumar Arora (Mansa urban), Bal Krishan Bali (Moga urban) and Ashok Juneja (Fazilka urban).

The SAD is keen to woo the Hindu community, which had voted for the Congress in this year’s Assembly elections, in Malwa’s urban areas.

The appointments were made today by Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Among the other district presidents are former minister Ajit Singh Kohar (Jalandhar rural), ex-minister Sikandar Singh Maluka (Bathinda rural), former minister Surjit Singh Rakhra (Patiala rural), Santa Singh Umaidpur (Khanna), Darshan Singh Shivalik (Jagraon), former MLA Ranjit Singh Dhillon (Ludhiana urban), Veer Singh Lopoke (Amritsar rural), Gurpartap Singh Tikka (Amritsar urban), Virsa Singh Valtoha (Tarn Taran rural), Swaran Singh Chanarthal (Fatehgarh Sahib rural), Mantar Singh Brar (Faridkot rural), Avtar Singh Zira (Ferozepur rural), Surinder Singh Thekedar (Hoshiarpur rural) and Gurmail Singh Mansa (Mansa rural).

Kanwarjit Singh Rosy Barkandi has been appointed Shiromani Akali Dal president of the Muktsar district rural unit. Tirth Singh Mahla will head the Moga unit (rural), while Budh Singh Balakipur has been named president of the Nawanshahr unit (rural).

Another setback for Kolianwali

Muktsar: Veteran Akali leader Dyal Singh Kolianwali (pic) has been replaced by first-time MLA Kanwarjit Singh Rozy Barkandi as the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal’s district unit (rural). A three-time SGPC member, Kolianwali had been removed from the committee executive when Kirpal Singh Badungar took charge as the Sikh body’s chief in November last year. Rozy Barkandi, an aide of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, is the Malwa zone-1 president of the Youth Akali Dal. When asked about the recent developments and whether he was eyeing the post of SGPC chief, Kolianwali said, “I am not in the race for any post. I am a staunch supporter of Badal sahib.” During the SAD-BJP rule, Congress and AAP leaders had accused Kolianwali of harassing and victimising their party workers. He was appointed chairman of the Punjab Agro Foodgrains Corporation when the Akalis were in power.  — Archit Watts