CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday expelled former Union minister and Member of Parliament Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and his son Parminder Singh, who is a party MLA, for anti-party activities after they rebelled against the party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said the decision to expel both father and son was taken in the party's core committee meeting held here as party workers from Sangrur had demanded their expulsion.
It is learnt that they have been charged with anti-party activities as both of them criticised the party leadership and joined hands with the splinter group SAD (Taksali).
Talking to this correspondent, Parminder Singh Dhindsa said, "This is another sign of dictatorship as they (Badals) have no regard for democratic values because they never issued us any show-cause notice earlier. If they had issued one, we would have given our explanation. This decision shows their insecurity."
In October last year, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had resigned as leader of the party in the upper house amid his increasing closeness to the BJP, which had conferred the Padma Bhushan on him earlier last year.
Dhindsa had expressed his displeasure with the working of SAD president Sukhbir Badal. Several attempts were made by party patriarch Badal and general secretary Daljit Singh Cheema to mollify him but nothing worked.
In the Lok Sabha elections last year, he had sought votes for the BJP.
A few days ago, former state finance minister and leader of the legislative party Parminder Singh Dhindsa also resigned from his post. At that time, Sukhbir accepted his one-line resignation and appointed the MLA from Sahnewal Sharanjit Singh Dhillon as the new leader of the SAD legislative party in the state
assembly.