Expel Valtoha from Akali Dal for 10 years: Akal Takht jathedar

Amritsar, Oct 15 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on Tuesday ordered the working president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Balwinder Singh Bhunder, to expel Virsa Singh Valtoha from the Akali Dal for 10 years.

Valtoha had alleged that Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh was working under the pressure of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Akal Takht “ordered the expulsion” of Valtoha from SAD while “holding him guilty of denting the credibility” of the five high priests.

After failing to prove his claims with “concrete evidence” before the five high priests, the Akal Takht jathedar directed SAD working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar to expel Valtoha from the party within 24 hours, terminate his primary membership for the next 10 years and bar him from participating in any party activity till then.

After the closed-door meeting here that lasted nearly two hours, Giani Raghbir Singh told the media that Valtoha had targeted Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh.

He also said Valtoha had “threatened” him against taking any stern action pertaining to tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) against Sukhbir Badal.

“Valtoha had visited me at my residence on the pretext of knowing about my well-being. After a normal exchange of words, he ‘threatened’ me that if any verdict was pronounced against Sukhbir Singh Badal, he would confront it,” he said.

The jathedar on Sunday summoned Valtoha, the former legislator, for stating on social media that the Sikh clergy was under pressure from the BJP and the RSS to decide against the party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.

In the order, the jathedar said: “If Valtoha does not appear, it would be assumed that he is trying to do character assassination of the jathedars and put pressure on them.”

Jathedar’s action came a day after Valtoha shared a detailed post on Facebook questioning the delay by the Sikh clergy in announcing the tankhah (religious punishment) to the SAD president who was held tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) on August 30 for the mistakes committed by the party and its government from 2007 to 2017.

Akal Takht Jathedar’s media adviser Talwinder Singh Buttar told the media here that Valtoha had been directed to appear in person at the Akal Takht on October 15. He has been asked to come up with the proofs on the basis of which he had raised finger over the integrity of “Jathedar Sahibans”, else it would be taken as an attempt to tarnish their image.