CHANDIGARH: Ahead of the upcoming 2027 Assembly elections in Punjab, Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali on Wednesday resigned from Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit).
The move comes after Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, led by jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament Amritpal Singh, and Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) broke their alliance after failing to reach consensus on what it called 'fundamental and crucial ideological issues.'
The efforts to forge a Panthic political alliance against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led by Sukhbir Singh Badal has suffered a major jolt.
Sources said that the alliance between the two political outfits could not be finalised due to ideological differences, following which both sides decided to part way.
Ayali was unhappy with SAD (Punar Surjit) leaders for "cozying up" with the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is being speculated that he could switch sides and hold a key position in Akali Dal Waris Punjab De.
Ayali tendered his resignation on the day when Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia visited Ludhiana.
While announcing his resignations from SAD (Punar Surjit), in a seven-minute video message on social media Ayali said those leaders who according to Akal Takht hukamnama had lost the moral right to be associated with Akali Dal, went on to become part of the SAD (Punar Surjit).
Without naming anyone, he said that going by the spirit of Akal Takht hukamnama, such leaders should have gone by the spirit of the Akal Takht and should have kept themselves away from the party affairs, for a year or so at least to help the SAD (Punar Surjit) gain traction among the masses.
"I was part of the committee formed for Panthic unity and recruitment of party workers in accordance with the Hukamnama Sahib issued by Akal Takht Sahib on December 2, 2024. We made every possible effort to strengthen the Sikh Panth, Punjab, and Punjabi identity and to promote Panthic unity," he said.
Ayali said that he has tendered his resignation from all posts in the party and clarified that he would not join the Congress, BJP or AAP. He also declared that he would not return to SAD either.
Ayali further said that after the recruitment drive he had told party leaders that our job as committee members is over. But however, the leaders said that since the new party had just been formed it would send a wrong message if he tendered his resignation at this juncture.
He claimed that he had objected the appointment of leaders in the party, particularly who were meant to be kept away from holding any position in the party as per the Jathedar’s directions, but their inclusion led to dissatisfaction among party workers.
Ayali told the media that though such leaders claim they had undergone the religious punishment, the sangat (community) was not ready to extend their support.
Ayali had recently slammed the Punjab Police of reaching Dibrugarh in Assam to formally arrest Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh in connection with the Ajnala police station attack case of February 2023. He had alleged that despite winning a large mandate with more than four lakh votes, Singh has been kept away from his constituency for three years and was being targeted in a “fake” case.
Sources said that as part of the earlier understanding which was reached between the both the political parties then an eight-member joint “Panthic unity coordination committee” was constituted with equal representation from both sides.
Ayali was unanimously appointed as the convener and the panel held multiple rounds of meetings aimed at evolving a common minimum programme and building consensus for an electoral arrangement. But Waris Punjab De recently announced it's exit from the committee, stating that despite several rounds of deliberations, agreement could not be reached on key ideological and organizational issues.
Also recently former Punjab minister Surjit Singh Rakhra joined the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday he was also part of Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit). Rakhra had been one of the more prominent faces of the Shiromani Akali Dal for many years.
Due to differences, particularly with Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, Rakhra distanced himself from the party and later joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit. The Giani Harpreet Singh-led breakaway faction later expelled Rakhra for "anti-party" activities.
The SAD (Punar Surjit), after its formation, claimed to be ‘real’ Akali Dal even as official SAD also carried out a membership drive following which Sukhbir Singh Badal was re-elected as party chief.