Sangrur May 02:
With
block samiti and zila parishad elections near, the Shiromani Akali Dal
dethroned threetime former minister Gobind Singh Kanjla as its man in
charge of Mehal Kalan constituency in Barnala district on the grounds of
indiscipline.
SAD
general secretary Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, member of the Rajya Sabha and
party’s man in charge of Barnala district, confirmed that Kanjla had
been removed from the post. Once a protégé of SAD (Longowal) president
Surjit Singh Barnala, Kanjla, was at loggerheads with Dhindsa over
ticket distribution in the elections coming up on May 19. “Kanjla was
sacked after he distributed ticket in his constituency on his own
without consulting senior leaders,” said Dhindsa.
“The
party removed Kanjla after taking its president, deputy chief minister
Sukhbir Singh Badal, and chief minister Prakash Singh Badal into
confidence,” the MP said here. “He had not kept senior leader in the
loop, which made his announcing candidates on the party symbol a
despotic decision,” he added. Dhindsa said even local party workers were
unhappy with Kanjla’s functioning and they had often taken the
complaint to him and the party high command. “Even senior administration
officials had complained about his arrogant behavior,” he said. The
sacking of Kanjla has exposed factions within the SAD in Barnala
district.
During
the 2002 assembly elections as well, Kanjla had resigned from the SAD
after Dhindsa had tried to field his son, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, now
finance minister representing Sherpur constituency, from Sangrur. After
his removal on Wednesday, his supporters thronged his house in at Kanjla
village in this district. Kanjla accepted that he had allotted Akali
ticket for 41 block-samiti contests and four zila parishad elections
after six meetings with the selection advisory committee. “Party
president Sukhbir Singh Badal has given all constituency incharges the
freedom to distribute ticket in these elections on their own in
respective areas,” he said.
“Even
Dhindsa was aware of the final list but he, later, disproved the
candidates because he wanted to field the SAD rebels who had a role in
my defeat in a previous assembly election,” Kanjla added. “Mein kehra
Vidhan Sabha jan parliamentary election di ticket vand rehan jo Dhindsa
saab ena raula pa rhe ne (I am not distributing the ticket for the
assembly or parliamentary elections that Dhindsa should make a noise
about it),” said Kanjla. “Dhindsa’s only grouse is that his loyalists
did not get the ticket. Dhindsa saab tan aven jvaakan valian glan kar
rhe ne…. je eh election nal prime minister bande hone fer tan kehn
(Dhindsa is being childish, as if this election will make him a prime
minister or what),” he added.