CHANDIGARH: Amid discontent in the party, the Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday claimed that its acting district presidents have expressed complete faith in the leadership of Sukhbir Singh Badal.
A conspiracy is afoot to destabilise regional parties, a SAD statement claimed, asking party leaders to desist from questioning the Badal's authority or face disciplinary action.
The development comes in the backdrop of rumblings for a change in the leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal.
The statement said 39 acting rural and urban presidents expressed faith in the leadership of Sukhbir Badal following a meeting held here under his chairmanship.
While three acting district presidents are abroad, one is incapacitated due to poor health, said the statement.
Senior leaders Iqbal Singh Jhundan, Virsa Singh Valtoha and Mantar Singh Brar said all acting presidents had made it clear that they had full faith in the "far sighted and visionary" leadership of Badal and that he will remain the president of the party.
They asked party leaders questioning Badal's leadership to discuss their reservations at an appropriate party forum and not to breach discipline.
"Anyone breaching party discipline is not a well-wisher of the party and the party will not tolerate indiscipline henceforth," the leaders asserted.
They asserted that a conspiracy is afoot to destabilise regional parties and their leaders are being defamed.
"The intention is to break regional parties to spread the hegemony of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has been witnessed in Maharashtra and even Bihar recently," they said in the statement.
The leaders expressed confidence that the BJP would not succeed in weakening the SAD in Punjab while adding that the party would never compromise on its principles.
Iqbal Singh Jhundan told the media a party panel headed by him had made 42 suggestions, which would be implemented in due course.
"We admit that there have been mistakes in the past but we are committed to correcting them. You will witness a definite change in the SAD in the coming days," he said.
The Jhudan panel was formed to analyse the reasons for the party's humiliating defeat in the Punjab assembly polls.
Last month, the SAD leadership was left red-faced after party MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali went against his own party by boycotting the presidential poll held, saying issues related to Punjab remain unresolved and he was not consulted by his party leadership before deciding to back NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu.
Ayali had sought the implementation of the recommendations of the Jhudan panel.
Ayali had even spoken about change in the party leadership.
Several Akali leaders, including Prem Singh Chandumajra, had held a meeting at Amritsar on August 8 and had decided to meet Badal to discuss with him the issue of strengthening the party in line with the workers' sentiments, which have been recorded in the committee report.
On July 28, Badal had dissolved the entire organisational structure of the party in pursuance of the recommendations of the 13-member committee.