Bedi hopes Talwandi will join Morcha

chandigarh: the leaders of the panthic morcha are hoping that former sgpc chief jagdev singh talwandi and others from the ruling shiromani akali dal(sad), who were holding back expectations of akali unity to defeat the congress in the impending assembly elections, would join the morcha. talking to reporters here, on wednesday, convener panthic morcha sarbjot singh bedi and its senior leaders, ravi inder singh and prem singh chandumajra, claimed that voting by only a dozen sgpc members, on tuesday, was indicative of the extent of suffocation in the ruling party.stating that punjab chief minister and sad president parkash singh badal had closed the chapter of ''panthic unity'' by foisting his aide kirpal singh badungar on the sgpc. he said that a candidate should have been chosen out of a common consensus. by removing talwandi, bedi alleged badal had expelled panthic values from his party. he said that upholding of panthic values by talwandi was commendable. in the same breath, he added that talwandi was being pressurised to continue in the badal camp. bedi said that badal had not only spurned unity moves, but had also insulted the sikhs by choosing badungar, who they alleged was a follower of piara singh bhaniara. however, morcha leaders said that doors were ''open to all akalis except badal''. this was the only way to achieve panthic unity, he said. ''only badal is a pariah for us,'' said ravi inder singh, adding that badal had concentrated all political and panthic powers in his hands.