Chandigarh: In a major setback to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), former cabinet minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa resigned as leader of the legislative party on Friday, days after his father Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa rebelled against the party leadership.
Party president Sukhbir Singh Badal accepted the two-time state finance minister’s one-line resignation and announced that Sharanjit Singh Dhillon will now hold the post of legislative party leader.
Senior Akali leader Daljit Singh Cheema said that he younger Dhindsa, who was appointed the leader of legislative party in August last year, had not given any reasons for his resignation.
Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had opened a front against the party leadership, especially its chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, in a bid to "liberate" the SAD from the Badal family and "revive its lost glory". He had resigned from all party posts in September last year fuelling speculations that all was not well within the party.
Punjab Minister Sadhu Singh Dharmsot has said that the SAD is a divided house now and Dhindsa’s resignation is a testimony to that.
Parminder Dhindsa had also skipped a programme held to mark the 99th foundation day of the party on December 14, but party chief Badal had then said that he had permission to go to Mumbai for urgent work.
Dhindsa, who is an MLA from Lehra, had gone incommunicado after his father aligned with SAD (Taksali) leaders.
(With PTI inputs)
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