By Asia Samachar | Panjab |
Panjab legislator Manpreet Singh Ayali has resigned from Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit), dealing a setback to efforts to forge a united Panthic political front ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.
Ayali, the MLA for Dakha, announced his resignation amid growing tensions within the breakaway Akali faction and the collapse of its alliance talks with Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, led by jailed MP Amritpal Singh.
The alliance between the two groups fell apart after both sides failed to agree on “fundamental and crucial ideological issues”, reports The Indian Express.
The repot quoted unnamed sources saying the differences centred on organisational and ideological concerns within the Panthic alliance-building exercise.
Ayali was reportedly unhappy with leaders in SAD (Punar Surjit) for allegedly “cozying up” to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a sensitive issue in Punjab politics following the fallout over the now-repealed farm laws.
In a seven-minute video message announcing his resignation, Ayali said certain leaders who had “lost the moral right” to be associated with the Akali movement, following the Akal Takht hukamnama issued on Dec 2, 2024, were nevertheless given positions in the party.
He argued that such individuals should have stayed away from party affairs temporarily to allow the new faction to gain credibility among the Sikh masses.
Ayali had played a central role in attempts to unite Panthic forces opposed to the Shiromani Akali Dal led by Sukhbir Singh Badal. He served as convener of an eight-member “Panthic unity coordination committee” formed jointly by SAD (Punar Surjit) and Waris Punjab De.
Despite resigning from the party, Ayali said he would not join the Congress, BJP or Aam Aadmi Party, and would also not return to the SAD.
SAD (Punar Surjit) emerged in 2025 as a breakaway faction from the traditional Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) amid growing discontent over the leadership of Sukhbir Singh Badal and the party’s handling of key Panthic issues.
The term “Punar Surjit” means “revived” or “reorganised”, reflecting efforts to rebuild the Akali movement after the Akal Takht’s intervention against senior SAD leaders in December 2024.
The faction became associated with ousted Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, who was seen as a moral and Panthic influence behind attempts to forge a reformed Sikh political platform ahead of Punjab’s 2027 elections.
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