Shiromani Akali Dal starts recruitment drive at Golden Temple

A new recruitment drive for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was launched by a five-member committee formed by the Akal Takht. The panel consists of Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Iqbal Singh Jhunda, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpuri, and Satwant Kaur. They met with Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, the acting jathedar of Akal Takht, to discuss unity among the Sikh community. The recruitment campaign began after a prayer ceremony at the Golden Temple, led by Giani Harpreet Singh. His involvement is notable, as he was part of a significant Sikh decree issued in December that impacted SAD leadership. This decree called for reforms within SAD, which is seen as the political representative for Sikhs. Jhunda stated that the drive aims to revive the SAD, and the community's response has been encouraging. A membership camp was set up on Heritage Street, where forms were distributed with no membership fee required. The forms were printed under the name of Shiromani Akali Dal (Bharati Committee). After the prayer, the committee met with the Akal Takht secretariat, which offered an invitation for further discussions. They talked about ways to unite different factions within the community. The December decree criticized former SAD leadership for past errors and mandated new elections within six months. While the Badal faction of the SAD also initiated its own recruitment efforts, their actions were seen as a breach of the decree. Despite facing criticism and losing some members, the committee pursued the launch of the recruitment drive as directed by the Akal Takht's then jathedar.