Chandigarh, March 17 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has called for unity within the party, inviting estranged leaders to return in accordance with the directive of Sri Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj.
SAD Working President Balwinder Singh Bhundar, addressing the media after a Parliamentary Board meeting, urged all leaders, including members of the five-member committee, to set aside differences for the strength of Panthic forces.
“History shows that the ‘quom’ has always prospered when united. We must learn from the past,” Bhundar said, referencing the Jathedar’s speech at Hola Mohalla.
Bhundar also reiterated his earlier appeal for dissident leaders to take part in the party’s membership drive. “I invite them to take membership slips, enroll members, and elect delegates of their choice in the organizational elections,” he said.
The SAD also announced its participation in an all-party meeting called by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on March 22 to discuss the delimitation exercise.
Bhundar warned that the process could create an imbalance, with states like Uttar Pradesh potentially increasing to 150 Lok Sabha seats, while Punjab and Haryana would see only a marginal rise. He also raised concerns over the impact of the new education policy on regional languages.
The Parliamentary Board reviewed the party’s membership drive, extending the deadline for submitting membership slips to March 25. It also welcomed the SGPC executive committee’s decision to reject Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami’s resignation as SGPC president, urging him to resume his role.
The meeting further endorsed the Jathedar’s unity message and took note of incidents targeting communal harmony in Punjab, including the desecration of a B.R. Ambedkar statue, a bomb attack on a temple in Amritsar, and assaults on migrant workers in Ludhiana.
