Latest news with #GianiHarpreetSingh
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Giani Harpreet opts out, Satwant Kaur set to head breakaway Akali faction
Senior SGPC employee Bibi Satwant Kaur is set to be the new chief of the breakaway Akali Dal faction as former Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Friday said he is opting out of the race. Akal Takht appointed panel will hold delegate session on August 11. (HT File) The Akal Takht-appointed panel, which was given the mandate to recast the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the December 2 decree, has scheduled the delegate session to elect new president and office bearers on August 11. Kaur, part of the Takht panel and currently serving in a senior position in the SGPC's education wing, has strong panthic roots. She is the granddaughter of former Damdami Taksal chief Kartar Singh Bhindranwale. Her father, Bhai Amrik Singh, president of the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF), was killed during Operation Bluestar. She hails from Bhoora Kohna village in Tarn Taran district and is considered a good orator with command over panthic politics. Giani Harpreet Singh, who was part of the December 2 decree pronounced by Sikh clergy, in a Facebook post, said he doesn't wish to be part of the race for the presidency. 'The five-member committee has scheduled the election meeting for August 11. I have come to know that during this election, my name, as well as the name of Bibi Satwant Kaur Ji, the daughter of the great martyr Bhai Amrik Singh Ji, are being considered for the presidency of the Shiromani Akali Dal. Some voices are being raised in my support, and some in favour of Bibi Ji. I appeal to the five-member committee that I do not wish to be part of the race for the presidency in competition with Bibi Satwant Kaur. Hence, my name should not be considered for the position of president,' Giani Harpreet said in his post. BOX: Takht panel allotted alternative venue by SGPC The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday allotted Bhai Gurdas Hall, in the vicinity of the Golden Temple, to the Akal Takht panel to hold its elections. The panel had earlier sought the SGPC headquarters, Teja Singh Samundri Hall, for the delegate meeting. 'The SGPC has not granted permission to hold the meeting at Teja Singh Samundri Hall. Instead, Bhai Gurdas Hall has been allotted to us. However, we have not finalised yet whether we are to organise the meeting at this venue. Gurdwara Burj Akali Phoola Singh is also under our consideration. We are holding a meeting tomorrow to finalise the venue,' Gurpartap Singh Wadala, one of the committee members, said. The meeting is scheduled to be held on August 11.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Giani Harpreet quits SAD leadership race after ‘phone call', endorses rival
Jalandhar/Amritsar: Former Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Friday withdrew from the race for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) presidency, throwing his support behind Satwant Kaur , a fellow member of the party's five-member election committee and daughter of Amrik Singh, a close associate of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who died alongside him in June 1984's Operation Bluestar. In a message posted on X, Giani Harpreet Singh said he had come to know that both his name and Satwant Kaur's were under consideration for the Aug 11 election. While some members favoured him and others backed Satwant Kaur, the former jathedar said he had "great respect" for her and urged the committee not to include his name in opposition to hers. Party sources said Giani Harpreet Singh's decision had followed a tense night of internal discussions and a phone call from a leader that had left him feeling undermined. Until then, Satwant Kaur and he had been the main contenders, with her bid supported by Manpreet Singh Aiyali, Iqbal Singh Jhoonda, and Santa Singh Umaidpuri, while the former jathedar enjoyed backing from Gurpartap Singh Wadala and senior figures from the former SAD Sudhar Lehar. Satwant Kaur, an employee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), was appointed to the original seven-member enrolment panel last Dec at Giani Harpreet Singh's request. That same month, the former jathedar played a central role in the Akal Takht's decision to strip late Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal of the 'Panth Ratan Fakhe-e-Qaum' title — a move that infuriated SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal's camp and preceded Giani Harpreet Singh's removal as Damdama Sahib jathedar. A Panthic source noted that Giani Harpreet Singh and Satwant Kaur differed on some issues and claimed she was reluctant to take up the presidency. "If she declines, Harpreet could emerge again as the leading contender," the source said. The episode has shaken the dissident camp, which has sought to project unity under the Akal Takht's Dec 2 directive, but now grapples with the same internal power plays it once criticised in the party mainstream. MSID:: 123190561 413 | Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Former Akal Takht chief Giani Harpreet Singh steps out of race for president post of new SAD faction
Former Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Friday announced his withdrawal from the race for the presidency of the new faction of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is set to be formed on August 11. The new faction is being set up by the members of the committee that was originally constituted by the Sri Akal Takht Sahib — which is the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs — on December 2, 2024, for the reorganisation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). In a statement on Friday, Giani Harpreet Singh said, 'The five-member committee has scheduled the election meeting for August 11. I have received information that my name and that of Bibi Satwant Kaur Ji — daughter of Amar Shaheed Bhai Amrik Singh Ji — are being considered for the presidency of the Shiromani Akali Dal. Some are expressing support for me, and some for Bibi Ji. I have great respect for her. Therefore, I appeal to the committee not to consider my name for the post. I will not be part of the race against Bibi Satwant Kaur.' Satwant Kaur, who is in her early forties, currently serves as deputy director of 59 SGPC-run schools and is the granddaughter of Giani Kartar Singh Bhindranwale, the 13th chief of the Damdami Taksal. Satwant Kaur was also one of the seven members of the reorganisation committee set up by Akal Takht Sahib in December 2024. Her speeches have drawn attention in recent months, and despite being an SGPC employee, she has actively participated in the recruitment and mobilisation efforts for the new faction of the Panthic party. However, names of other individuals are also making rounds for the post of the president. Meanwhile, sources have indicated that the Akali Dal has approached the officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht, Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, against the upcoming faction.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Satwant Kaur, Giani Harpreet emerge as contenders for SAD prez's post
Bibi Satwant Kaur and former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh have emerged as frontrunners for the top post as the five-member committee, constituted by the Akal Takht on December 2 last year to supervise the recast of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), gears up for its delegate session. Giani Harpreet Singh While one of the group, consisting two members of Takht appointed panel, are backing Kaur, who is daughter of Amrik Singh, the other faction, led by a leader who led the SAD rebel faction who approached Akal Takht for course correction, has puts its weight behind Giani Harpreet Singh to be at the helm of the new faction of SAD. The election for the office bearers has been fixed for August 11; however, so far, a venue has not been finalised. The delegates elected from among 26 lakh members recruited by the five-member committee will elect the office bearers. 'We are trying for a consensus, and every senior leader will get a respectable role in the party matters,' Manpreet Singh Ayali said on being asked about the presidential candidate. Ayali refused to comment on his choice of the top leader and said, 'The delegates will have a final say.' Bibi Satwant Kaur was serving in a senior position in the education wing of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and comes from a panthic family. Her father, Amrik Singh, was an associate of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and was killed during Operation Bluestar. Amrik's father, Kartar Singh Bhindranwale, remained head of Damdami Taksal. She was among the seven members named by Akal Takht, which included SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, former president Kirpal Singh Badungar, Ayali, Jhundan, Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Santa Singh Umaidpur. Dhami and Badungar resigned, after which the five members started a membership drive in March. Giani Harpreet Singh, who was jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, was one of the key curators of the December 2 edict. He was later removed by SGPC but continued to support the membership drive and was also critical of the SAD leaders, including party president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Wadala said that, as per feedback and sentiment in the panthic circles, Giani Harpreet is emerging as a choice for the top post. 'He is an intellectual, possesses panthic ideals. He has not compromised with principles and traditions,' Wadala said. Giani Harpreet Singh also faced criticism from the Sukhbir-led SAD, which alleged that he had a tacit understanding with the BJP.
