Akali Dal’s comeback an arduous task as radical Amritpal, Akali rebels could strike a blow
The HinduEven as Sukhbir Singh Badal’s resignation as president of Shiromani Akali Dal has been accepted — a move that is being seen as a ‘course correction’ bid to revive the century-old party — the task at hand to bring the party to life could be arduous. The party rebels are deliberating on launching a new outfit, while Lok Sabha MP Amritpal Singh, a pro-Khalistan propagator, has already declared his political party’s launch on January 14. Rajdev Singh Khalsa, a former MP from Punjab’s Sangrur and Mr. Amritpal’s legal counsel, told The Hindu, “We will launch the party on January 14 at Sri Mukstar Sahib. Former MP and rebel SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra told The Hindu that if the party doesn’t enforce Akal Takht’s directives, they will be forced to consider launching a new outfit. The Sikh radical outfit Dal Khalsa has also in its statement pointed out that Akal Takht’s verdict of December 2, which awarded religious punishments to Mr. Badal and several other Akali Dal leaders for the “mistakes” committed by the SAD government from 2007 to 2017, hasn’t been accepted in letter and spirit.