Chandigarh: Punjab`s ruling Shiromani Akali
Dal today expelled a defiant Manpreet Singh Badal from the
party, a week after he was sacked as Finance Minister for
going against the party line on subsidies and the Centre`s
reported debt waiver offer.
Manpreet, nephew of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,
was expelled on the charge of anti-party activities following
the recommendation of the party`s Disciplinary Action
Committee (DAC), SAD Secretary Daljit Cheema told PTI here.
The action against the 48-year-old four times MLA from
Gidderabaha was taken by SAD after he failed to appear before
DAC here today following a show cause notice issued to him
last week in the wake of his differences with the party over
the reported conditional debt waiver offer from the Centre.
Earlier in the day, the DAC, facing defiance from
Manpreet, had recommended his expulsion from the party.
Manpreet was suspended from the party and sacked as
minister on October 13 after he had locked horns with the
party top brass on the issue of subsidies and the Centre`s
reported offer of conditional waiver of loans taken by the
state during militancy years in Punjab.
The senior legislator was asked by the DAC on October
11 to appear before it today and not to go public on any issue
during the interim period.
However, Manpreet stuck to his views on phasing out the
subsidies in return for debt waiver and had announced earlier
itself that he would not appear before the DAC.
"We had asked Manpreet to appear before us by 11 am, but
we waited till 1.30 pm. He did not bother to make his presence
before us...besides he also made statements against (his
cousin) Sukhbir Singh Badal, the core committee of the
SAD...he has indulged in anti-party activities," DAC chairman
Ranjit Singh Brahmpura said.
He said the decision to recommend Manpreet`s expulsion
from the party was "unanimous."
"Manpreet had made condemnable statements against Sukhbir
and core committee members of the SAD," he said.
The sacked minister had maintained that he would continue
his fight by remaining within the SAD.
Cheema said the party also issued show-cause notices to
two MLAs Jagbir Singh Brar, and Manpreet`s relative and
Manjinder Singh Kang who had rallied behind the former Finance
Minister.
Another MLA Sant Ajit Singh from Chamkaur Sahab, who had
also sided with Manpreet, took a U-turn yesterday after
Sukhbir met him in Ropar district.
Citing Anti-defection law, Cheema said Manpreet cannot
join any party or violate the party whip in the state
assembly.
He will have to resign and contest election in case he
wants to join any other party, he added.
-PTI
