Sukhbir Singh Badal, the chief of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), extended an earnest appeal to all leaders who had departed from the party in recent years, expressing his readiness to offer apologies if any fault lay on his part.

His plea followed the warm welcome extended to two Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) members who had lent their support to Bibi Jagir Kaur’s candidacy for the president’s position within the apex gurdwara body under the SAD banner last November. Harpal Singh Jalla from Payal and Amrik Singh Janaitpur from Ambala were received into the party, as per an official release.

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Badal revealed that an additional 10 to 15 SGPC members who had stood with Bibi Jagir Kaur were poised to rejoin the SAD in the forthcoming days. He also urged all leaders who had previously departed from the party to reunite under the SAD’s banner.

“If I have erred in any way, I extend my apologies. However, it’s imperative for us to unite against forces seeking to undermine the ‘Panth’,” he emphasized. Notable figures like former Punjab Assembly speaker Charajit Singh Atwal, his son Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, former MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, and his son, former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, had previously left the Akali Dal.

Harpal Singh Jalla’s return to the SAD signifies a homecoming, whereas the other SGPC member, Amrik Singh Janaitpur, an independent member, also joined the SAD’s ranks.

Both members affirmed their unwavering faith in the SAD president’s leadership and pledged dedicated efforts to fortify the party at all levels, as stated by the party.

Badal highlighted that Harpreet Singh Garcha, an SGPC member, along with his father and former minister Jagdish Singh Garcha, had reunited with the party earlier in the week.

“There are more members in the process of rejoining,” Badal noted, emphasizing that SGPC members had recognized Bibi Jagir Kaur’s association with a “sinister plot” aiming to weaken the ‘Panth’ by creating divisions within the Sikh community.

He asserted that all members were unified in opposition to these “anti-panthic forces,” emphasizing their collective determination to stand together.