In a significant development within the Shiromani Akali Dal, party president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday evening visited editor-in-chief of Ajit Barjinder Singh Hamdard in Jalandhar for an extensive three-hour meeting.
This is the first meeting between Badal and Hamdard since the rebel faction’s meeting in Hamdard’s farmhouse in Jalandhar on June 21 and in another location in Jalandhar on June 25.
In the second meeting the rebels passed a resolution seeking Badal’s resignation form the post of party president.
The recent meeting between Badal and Hamdard is of considerable importance, particularly as many leaders supporting Badal assert that the rebellion group is being led by Hamdard.
Even though the rebel faction denied Hamdard’s involvement in their meeting, Saturday’s discussion was to address the growing dissent within the party and explore possible resolutions to the internal conflict.
The ongoing power struggle has led to heightened tensions within the party, with significant implications for its future leadership and direction, said a party leader.
Meanwhile, the Youth Akali Dal (YAD) lauded Badal for refusing to align with the BJP by “sacrificing the party’s principles only to fulfill their ulterior motives” despite intense pressure from a section of top leadership of the party, a party statement issued on Saturday said.
