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Shiromani Akali Dal may split

Neena Chaudhry in Chandigarh

A split in the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab now seems inevitable with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal giving a green signal to his loyalists in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to oust patriarch Gurcharan Singh Tohra from the apex body.

Following Badal's directive, 103 out of 180 SGPC members issued a notice to Tohra, asking him to convene the apex committee's general body meeting in the next 15 days.

Confirming this, Balbir Singh Pannu, the SGPC general secretary who is considered close to Badal, told the media the notice was issued under section 57 and rule 12 of section 63 of the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925, under which the SGPC was created to manage historic shrines in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the Union territory of Chandigarh.

Pannu said that the notice was sent by registered post to Tohra's native village in Patiala district besides being hand-delivered at the SGPC head office in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.

Addressing the media informally, Badal indicated that the party could initiate action against Tohra. He also hinted that the party would discuss the recent statements made by Tohra.

Party secretary general and Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had also made similar observations on Monday.

On December 17, Tohra was issued a show-cause notice by the three-member disciplinary action committee headed by Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi.

Further action was stayed against him as Bhai Ranjit Singh, who was the then Akal Takht Jathedar, issued a hukumnama on December 31.

The controversial holy order had sought a ceasefire in the Akali Dal besides staying any action against Tohra till April 15, when the 300th anniversary celebrations end.

Tohra's reply is said to be lying in a sealed envelope with Jathedar Talwandi since then.

Blaming the edict for Bhai Ranjit Singh's ouster, as many as 131 members of the SGPC had sought its withdrawal.

However, the party had proceeded against Tohra for alleged violation of party discipline by voicing his opinion in the media. He had advised Badal to give up the responsibility of party leadership.

The issue had been precipitated following a tough stance by Badal, who had utilised the opportunity to launch himself in the religious domain by cornering the power to lead the Khalsa celebrations.

The Tohra camp seems to fighting back, and preparations for the ultimate showdown with the Badal group have begun. Tohra has already joined forces with "suspended" Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh, to impress upon the people to "boycott" Badal and his advisers for their "anti-Sikh" decisions like sending the police to the Golden Temple complex last week.

Tohra told a television news channel that unless the Badal faction mended its ways and steered clear of religious affairs of the community, a split in the Akali Dal was inevitable.

Sources said the party could split any day after the proceedings against Tohra begin.

The Badal camp, which is upbeat after replacing the Akal Takht jathedar, felt that parting ways with Tohra would pose no danger to the two-year-old Akali-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance government in the state.

The Amritsar-based Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission, another statutory body under the Gurdwara Act, has decided to postpone the hearing till February 25, in four different petitions filed before it.

The commission was set up to decide various religious disputes, with its jurisdiction coinciding with that of the SGPC.

The Badal faction has petitioned the commission urging it to disqualify Tohra and his loyal office-bearers from the SGPC executive body.

The faction has also moved a contempt petition against Tohra for defying the commission, which had issued directives regarding the SGPC executive meet on February 10.

The Tohra faction has challenged the removal of Bhai Ranjit Singh and the appointment of Giani Puran Singh as Jathedar.

They have also moved a petition alleging that some SGPC members of the Badal faction do not fulfil the basic requirements of the committee's general house membership.

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