CHANDIGARH: Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, senior Akali leader and long time friend of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal today resigned form primary membership of party blaming SAD president for being partisan and inclined to bring his cousin brother a former minister Manpreet Singh inti party fold.
Dimpy Dhillon said that Sukhbir Badal told him that Manpreet Badal was ken to join Akali Dal. Manpreet Badal a former Congress minister is now in the BJP and is sidelined by the saffron party. Dhillon said that Manpreet Badal was active in Gidderbaha assembly constituency where bye-election is due after seat was vacated with election of sitting MLA Amarinder Singh Raja Warring for Lok Sabha from Ludhiana seat. Raja Warring had defeated Dhillon with a small margin in 2022 assembly elections.
Dhillon understood to have interest to contest bye-election from Gidderbaha but Sukhbir Badal has suggested Dhillon to change his seat to Dirba. Dhillon said that attitude of Sukhbir Badal was of arrogance as he told him, "Do you want to be in politics"? Dhillon said that he didn't want to become a hurdle between rejoining of two brothers (Manpreet and Sukhbir Badal). The sources said Dhillon may jojn AAP even as he said that he would sit at home.
Dhillon said that he had spent long time in SAD and stood by Badal family in good and bad times. Dhillon is owner of Dhillon transport company which has a fleet of over 200 buses. It was considered Dhillon and Badals had expanded their transport companies together during 10 year long rule of SAD.
The exit of Dhillon is considered major set back for Sukhbir Badal after over a dozen senior leader had formed a rebel group and demanded resignation of Sukhbir Badal from post of president. Lter Sukhbir Badal had expelled these leaders from the party and reconstituted core committee, disciplinary committee and parliament board of the party to replace the rebel leaders.
Prem Singh Chandumajra former Akali MP and minister today reiterated his demand for resignation by Sukhbir Badal to save SAD. He said that in the previous Lok Sabha poll SAD secured only 12 percent votes and poll percentage in the Jalandhar west by poll was just 0.1 percent and party candidate lost the security deposit. He said that SAD was losing ground under Sukhbir Badal. It is high time for Suhbir Badal to step down in the interest of party and Punjab, he added.