Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Working Committee on Friday accepted the resignation of Sukhbir Singh Badal as president of the party and the election for his successor would be held on March 1.
Badal, who had submitted his resignation in November, last year, attended the meeting. He said he had attended the meeting to stress upon the Working Committee to accept his resignation, besides expressing his gratitude to the committee for the wholehearted support extended to him during his tenure as the party President.
Later talking to the media, Badal thanked the party workers who had extended their support to him while fighting for the cause of Punjab and Punjabis. “I am deeply touched by the love and trust they reposed in me.”
He said he would continue to serve the party and Punjab as a humble worker with renewed vigour and commitment.
Giving details of the meeting, senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema said the Working Committee also decided to launch the membership drive for reconstitution of the organisational structure of the party on January 20. He said the membership drive would last for one month and that the election to the President of the party would be held on March 1. Senior leader Gulzar Singh Ranike has been made the chief election officer to conduct the organisational elections.
Cheema said Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami had been given charge of Jammu and Kashmir and Hoshiarpur, while Kirpal Singh Badungar of the entire Malwa region, Manpreet Singh Ayali of Rajasthan, Santa Singh Umaidpur of Himachal Pradesh, Iqbal Singh Jhunda of Malerkotla, Paramjit Singh Sarna of Delhi, Manjit Singh GK of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and Raghujit Singh Virk of Haryana.
Cheema also made an appeal to all leaders who are presently outside the SAD due to initiation of disciplinary action against them to approach the disciplinary committee so that their cases could be taken up for their return to the party.
Meanwhile, the Working Committee took notice of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing which it said sought to destroy the entire marketing structure in Punjab and promote privatisation.
Asserting this was being done to reintroduce the three agricultural laws, the committee demanded a special session of the Vidhan Sabha be convened to reject the draft framework on agricultural marketing. It also condemned both the Central government as well as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab for turning a blind eye to the grievances of farmers and not doing anything to ensure the end of the fast unto death of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal.
It also condemned the AAP government for thrusting thousands of fake names into the voter list for the SGPC elections and demanded all fake entries be deleted immediately. It condemned the manner in which the post of chief secretary had been created in Chandigarh, besides other posts to further dilute Punjab’s right over the union territory.
(IANS)
