Akal Takht oversight panel’s ‘Shiromani Akali Dal’ membership slips rankle SAD

Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has reacted sharply to the Akal Takht-constituted oversight committee launching the enrolment drive for the party with changes in the membership slips that had earlier suggested it was to be conducted for "Akali Dal" but was done under the name, "Shiromani Akali Dal".While the template of the membership slip mentioned a fee of Re 1, the final slips used did not mention any membership fee. The slips now stated that the drive was being conducted by the "committee constituted by five Sikh high priests from Akal Takht on Dec 2, 2024". They also listed the party's office address as "Sri Amritsar Sahib/Chandigarh".On March 7, the day the membership slip template was launched, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, a member of the oversight panel, said that the "enrolment would be carried out for ‘Akali Dal'without using the word ‘Shiromani' to "avoid unnecessary legal disputes raised by Shiromani Akali Dal".As SAD raised questions about the scheduled drive, asserting that no other group could use the name "Shiromani Akali Dal" for enrolment, Wadala responded, "We are proceeding with the name Akali Dal since it is the original name at the time of the party's inception."A day before the enrolment by the five-member committee began, SAD termed it an exercise to form a new party. They questioned, "When was ‘Akali Dal' formed, where was it formed, and when was it registered as a political party?"SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema on Monday accused the committee of defying Akal Takht directions, noting that the template membership slip did not mention that the membership was being conducted as per the Dec 2, 2024, Akal Takht directions. He claimed this omission was to circumvent potential legal issues while registering the "new party". Cheema also said that while SAD was raising these concerns, they were being accused of defying Akal Takht directions.Cheema reiterated that the five-member committee was "misleading the people, as there was no such committee formed by the Akal Takht". Cheema clarified that the Akal Takht had formed a seven-member oversight committee. "We are studying the membership slips of the oversight committee to decide the next course of action," said Cheema.Another SAD leader, Parambans Singh Romana, said in a video that "Akal Takht's name was being used for vested interests". He described the five-member committee as "self-styled". Romana claimed that the resignations of two members from the oversight panel, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami and Kirpal Singh Badungar, were not accepted. He questioned whether there were any new directions from the Akal Takht regarding how the seven-member committee became a five-member committee.SAD leader and party treasurer N K Sharma said that the membership slips used by the five-member committee list SAD address as "Amritsar/Chandigarh". He termed it "an enrolment drive using fake slips", adding, "Our only party head office is in Sector 28." Sharma also questioned the absence of any mention of a membership fee.Not anyone's trademark: WadalaWadala, on Tuesday, said, "We received many ideas and were discussing various names and suggestions. We finally chose the best possible name and the most convincing and attractive message in accordance with the Akal Takht hukumnama." "Shiromani Akali Dal is not a trademark of any single entity. We can make any additions or changes at the time of party registration if necessary. We will do it whenever it is required," Wadala said. Wadala also urged the SAD leadership, who conducted the drive according to the party constitution, to join the drive being conducted by the five-member committee. "We have kept our doors open for them. They can join us since our drive has the sanctity of Akal Takht. Now, they are asking us for copies for the membership drive. Earlier, they did not give us any recognition or space. They are becoming a laughing stock. They have no sanctity to carry out the membership drive."