Dhindsa Jr gives SAD session, splinter group’s event a miss

AMRITSAR Former minister and leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislature group in the state assembly Parminder Singh Dhindsa on Saturday skipped both the functions — one held by the party at the SGPC headquarters and another by his father Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and splinter groups at a Chief Khalsa Diwan-run school — held on the occasion of 99th foundation day of the party SAD.

Parminder, who is MLA from Lehragaga, was also absent from the party’s delegate session in which Sukhbir Singh Badal was re-elected as the SAD chief. Parminder had earlier said he was a delegate and will attend the session at Teja Singh Samundari Hall.

Replying to a question that whether his son will go along with him, Dhindsa senior said: “I don’t think a son can leave his father”.

HE WAS ON LEAVE: SAD

The SAD sent a communiqué to media around one-and-half hour after the session Parminder’s absence remained a hot topic in political circles.

In a release, party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said: “Former minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa had taken permission from the SAD president to miss the two-day delegate session. He called the party chief two days back to disclose that he had to attend to urgent personal work in Mumbai and sought permission to miss the delegate session. The party president accepted his request.”

Cheema said during his conversation with Sukhbir, Parminder reposed faith in his leadership as well as the policies and programmes of the party.

Former Patti MLA Adaish Partap Singh Kairon also skipped the delegate session. Kairon is son-in-law of the SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal.

SAD LEADERS SLAM TAKSALIS

The SAD leaders termed the splinter group, Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali, a party with no mass base. Former SGPC president Jagir Kaur read out a resolution against them stating “the Taksalis are paid elements fielded to weaken the representative political party of the Sikhs. Their sole motive is to help the Congress which is the enemy of Sikhs.”

“Being part of the SAD, these so-called Taksalis themselves kept on proposing name of Sukhbir for party president and played role in the decision-making process. It is very unfortunate that they are criticising him now,” said former minister Sikandar Singh Maluka.