When SAD leaders gathered successful Jalandhar to lodge a protestation against the apprehension of enactment person Bikram Singh Majithia successful a disproportionate assets lawsuit recently, lone a fistful of workers were seen participating successful the stir.
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Of those protesting, lone a fewer were recognisable faces, suggesting that the party’s popularity has nosedived successful Doaba — Jalandhar successful particular.
The SAD’s lasting has besides taken a deed owed to a continuous exodus of leaders from the enactment implicit the past 1 year.
Its Banga MLA Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi joined state’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) successful August past year.
Former Adampur MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu excessively is present AAP’s Jalandhar halqa incharge aft having unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary predetermination from the spot past year.
In Sukhi and Tinu’s exit, the SAD mislaid its 2 salient Dalit faces successful the Doaba region, comprising Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr districts.
The lone large Dalit person that the enactment is present near with is its erstwhile Phillaur MLA Baldev Khera.
However, his activities are confined to Phillaur only.
Jalandhar (Rural) SAD Committee does not adjacent person a president since erstwhile Nakodar legislator Gurpartap Wadala formed the now-defunct SAD Sudhar Lehar, a question that was launched by rebel leaders for a enactment alteration successful the party.
Former SAD curate Jagir Kaur, who earlier was an MLA from Kapurthala’s Bholath, and erstwhile Garhshankar legislator Surinder Singh Bhullewal Rathan excessively joined the Wadala-led group.
A staunch loyalist of Bikram Majithia and a salient younker leader, Sarabjot Singh Saabi, who had contested the 2022 Assembly predetermination arsenic a SAD candidate, excessively jumped vessel past week.
He joined the Congress successful the beingness of enactment bigwigs, including authorities portion main Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Leader of the Opposition successful the authorities Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa.
The concern is akin successful Nawanshahr’s Balachaur since Sunita Chaudhary passed distant successful 2023.
In Kapurthala district, the enactment has conscionable 1 progressive person — HS Walia. Jagbir Brar, an ex-MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment, had returned to the SAD 3 years ago, lone to displacement loyalty to the BJP wrong a fewer months.
Former Akali curate and Chabbewal person Sohan S Thandal, who had joined the BJP up of the Assembly bypoll successful November 2024, is backmost successful enactment but his re-joining did not marque overmuch impact.
As of today, Banga, Balachaur, Bholath, Jalandhar North, Jalandhar West, Adampur, Nakodar, Kartarpur, Garhshankar, Mukerian and Dasuya person go astir leaderless.
However, SAD’s Jalandhar (urban) president and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) caput Kulwant Singh Manan is optimistic.
“Everything tin beryllium sorted retired wrong days if everyone decides to shun ego and unite for the origin of the Sikh Panth and the party. The Panth and the enactment person already faced a batch of damage,” helium says.
Manan besides feels that the Takht Patna Sahib declaring enactment main Sukhbir Badal a “tankhaiya” (guilty of spiritual misconduct) for allegedly interfering successful its matters “won’t marque overmuch impact”. “Everyone knows astir the authorities down it,” helium says.\ This was the 2nd clip successful the past six months erstwhile a Sikh Takht censored Badal.
Though the Akal Takht overturned the Takht Patna Sahib decision, it had connected December 2 past twelvemonth held Sukhbir and different SAD leaders blameworthy of “religious misconduct” during the party’s decade-long regularisation from 2007-17.
Sukhbir had to discontinue arsenic the enactment main owed to mounting unit and calls for a enactment change. He made a comeback arsenic the enactment president lone a mates of months ago.
Now, Majithia’s apprehension has travel arsenic a setback for the party.
However, erstwhile Phillaur MLA Baldev Khera maintains that the enactment president was good alert of the crushed situation.
He pins anticipation connected the party’s scheduled protests against the government’s onshore pooling policy.
“Our governmental activities volition statesman from July 15. We volition commencement a morcha against the onshore pooling strategy successful Ludhiana. You volition spot a large reversal successful enactment fortunes arsenic the enactment volition enactment aggressively,” helium says. The enactment leaders besides shared that Sukhbir was successful discussions to instrumentality a location connected a road successful Jalandhar for casual mobility crossed Punjab and to marque crushed up of the 2027 Assembly poll.
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