Former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh has offered to “step down” as the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) breakaway faction in the “interest of Punjab and the Panth”.
According to sources, he volunteered to quit at a meeting of group leaders in Chandigarh on Saturday.
Called as the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit), the breakaway faction includes those rebel Akali leaders who had earlier sought a leadership change in the Sukhbir Badal-led party.
The group leaders had sought restructuring as per a decree issued in December last year by the Akal Takht — the highest temporal seat for the Sikhs.
Giani Harpeet was one of the five Sikh high priests, who had issued the decree. However, the Shiromani Akali Dal rejected it and carried out its own membership drive, resulting in Sukhbir’s return as the party president.