Chandigarh, Apr 12 (PTI) Sukhbir Singh Badal’s return to the helm of the Shiromani Akali Dal on Saturday drew sharp reactions from rivals that called his election a “farce” and alleged the 104-year-old outfit had turned into “a private limited company” of the Badal family.

Badal returned to the helm of the Shiromani Akali Dal with his unanimous election as president of the Punjab-based party. The 62-year-old former deputy chief minister was first elected party president in 2008.

His election at the party’s general delegate session in Amritsar came barely four months after he resigned when he was declared “tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct)” by the Akal Takht for “mistakes” committed by the Shiromani Akali Dal and its government from 2007 to 2017.

Reacting to Badal’s election, senior AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema said, “What it (Shiromani Akali Dal) got is not a genuine leader but a fake president chosen solely on the basis of power, family control and money. There is no democracy left in the party.” “The people of Punjab have already rejected them before and history will repeat itself. The Shiromani Akali Dal has become nothing more than a private limited company of the Badal family, with no regard for public sentiment or democratic principles,” he added.

AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang said the “prolonged drama” surrounding the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership culminated in a decision that was evident from the beginning — that the presidency would remain in the family.

He slammed Badal’s election, calling it a continuation of the family’s dominance over the party.

He noted the Shiromani Akali Dal was founded at the Akal Takht to uphold ‘panthic’ traditions.

“Yet, this very party disrespected jathedars, undermined the authority of the Takht, and pursued its selfish agenda. The ‘panth’ will never forgive such actions,” Kang said.

“It is disheartening to see individuals with ‘panthic’ sentiments who remain loyal to the Akali Dal with hopes of safeguarding Sikh traditions end up becoming subservient to the very family that caused irreparable damage to Sikh institutions,” he added.

The Congress’ Punjab president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also took a swipe at Badal, asking, “When did he resign?” Badal had only taken a “sabbatical” for his family engagements and was very much calling the shots even when he had supposedly resigned, which he actually never did, the Congress leader alleged.

Meanwhile, the Akal Takht-appointed committee of MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Iqbal Singh Jhundan, Santa Singh Umaidpuri and Satwant Kaur accused the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership of violating the Akal Takht’s December 2 edict.

They chided the party leadership, alleging a faction had elected a president through a bogus recruitment drive by defying the edict.

In a statement, they alleged that the ‘panth’ would not accept Badal’s election as Shiromani Akali Dal chief.

The committee was formed for the Shiromani Akali Dal’s membership drive by the highest temporal seat of Sikhs. PTI CHS CHS SZM SZM