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Facing rebellion in his party, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday dissolved its core committee, the outfit's highest decision-making body.
Rebel Akali leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala slammed Badal's move, saying instead of showing "a sense of renunciation", he issued a "dictatorial order" aimed to sideline those who want a "change" for strengthening the party
Several senior party leaders, including some from the core committee, had last month demanded that Badal step down as the party chief following its debacle in the recently held Lok Sabha elections in Punjab.
The leaders who had raised the banner of revolt included former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, former MLA Wadala and former ministers Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Surjit Singh Rakhra.
Chandumajra, Maluka, Wadala and Rakhra were among the members of the core committee.
SAD senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema on Tuesday said the core committee of the SAD has been dissolved.
He said that the working committee of the party has authorised Badal to reorganise the party organisation.
"In this regard the party President discussed in detail with his senior colleagues in a meeting held at Chandigarh today. It was decided to dissolve the core committee of the party. It will be reorganised shortly...," said Cheema in a post on X.
Among those present in the meeting were Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami, senior leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Paramjit Singh Sarna, Iqbal Singh Jhoonda and Harcharan Bains.
The SAD had reconstituted the core committee in November 2022.
Wadala said as per the practice, the core committee is dissolved when the entire organisational structure is disbanded.
"But now a new custom has been introduced where only the core committee is dissolved," he said.
Rebel Akali leaders had on July 15 launched a platform - 'Shiromani Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar' - to "strengthen and uplift" the 103-year-old outfit.
On July 1, the rebel leaders appeared before the Akal Takhta Jathedar and apologised for the "mistakes" that were committed when their party was in power in the state.
The leaders had sought forgiveness for the "four mistakes" during the former SAD regime between 2007 and 2017, including the failure to punish those responsible for the 2015 sacrilege incidents and "pardoning" Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2007 blasphemy case.
They had recently claimed that Sukhbir Badal allegedly used influence in "pardoning" the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in the blasphemy case.
In 2015, the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, pardoned the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in the 2007 blasphemy case on the basis of a written apology.
However, bowing to pressure from the Sikh community and hardliners, the Akal Takht had annulled its edict pardoning Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
The rebel Akali leaders also held SAD chief Badal, who was the deputy chief minister at that time, responsible for the "mistakes".
After the Akal Takht jathedar summoned Badal for his explanation, the SAD chief had said he would appear before the highest temporal seat of Sikhs as a devout Sikh.