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Badal supporters call for Tohra's head

The Shiromani Akali Dal faction led by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today mounted pressure for the removal of Rajya Sabha member Gurcharan Singh Tohra from the presidency of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee for his "anti-party and anti-panthic" activities.

Ten of the 15 SGPC executive committee members, who held a special meeting in Chandigarh this morning, resolved that Tohra should quit his post for his alleged attempt to sabotage the celebrations of the 300 years of the Khalsa Panth.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Punjab Finance Minister Kanwaljit Singh said the meeting was not convened by the Badal faction and all members had attended voluntarily.

He denied any crisis in the party following Tohra's demand for Badal's resignation as SAD president.

The All-India Sikh Students Federation led by Manjit Singh Bhuma also urged Badal to accept Tohra's offer, made yesterday, to resign from the SGPC presidency.

"If Mr Tohra refuses to submit his resignation, an emergency meeting of the general house of the SGPC should be convened to replace him," Bhuma said.

Striking a note of caution, he warned the chief minister that if he [Badal] arrives at any compromise for political reasons, he and the SAD will have to pay a heavy price later.

UNI

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