The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday formed a sub-committee to take all views on the proposed uniform civil code (UCC) into consideration and prepare a case for submission to the Law Commission.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the party’s constituency in-charges’ and district presidents which was presided over by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The four-member sub-committee comprises Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Sikandar Singh Maluka and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema. The committee has been tasked to hold talks with constitutional experts, intellectuals and Sikh community leaders.

Meanwhile, the meeting also passed a resolution condemning Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for humiliating and ridiculing a Gursikhs beard in Assembly which it asserted was part of a systematic attack on the unique identity of the Khalsa panth.

The meeting also rejected the Sikh Gurdwara (Amendment) Bill, 2023 while asserting that it was a direct interference in Sikh religious affairs. It termed the amendment made in the Bill as illegal and unconstitutional and warned the government not to inflame the passions of the community by such transgressions.

The meeting also took note of the manner in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was browbeating the media and condemned the manner in which the voice of the fourth pillar of democracy was being throttled in the State.

It also noted that some media houses had however willingly sold themselves to the AAP government in exchange for crores of rupees in advertisements.

“Such media houses are doing a great disservice to the pious profession of journalism as well as disrespecting Punjab and Punjabis”. Stating that enough was enough, the party said “channels and newspapers that have become propaganda tools of Bhagwant Mann should reform their ways and practice free and fair journalism or else the SAD would be constrained to boycott them,” the SAD said.

The SAD president also unveiled a mass contact programme under which all halqa incharges will visit all villages in their constituencies. Badal said “The AAP government has betrayed all sections of society. It is our duty to reach out to the people and assure them that we will fight for their rights and force this corrupt government and puppet chief minister Bhagwant Mann to implement all promises made to them”.