Calcutta criticises Badal as autocratic leader of SAD

Tohra, Patiala, Mar 5 (UNI) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) general secretary and SGPC secretary Manjit Singh Calcutta has criticised SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal for his ''autocratic attitude towards the party workers''.

Talking to newspersons here yesterday, he said that Mr Badal should differentiate the party from SGPC if the senior Akali leader wanted to regain power in Punjab. He said that Mr Badal should also not promote ''dynasty in the party''.

Mr Calcutta stated that Mr Badal had picked Avtar Singh as the SGPC president without discussing the issue in the SAD's political affairs committee (PAC) meeting. Mr Calcutta, who had been the hot contender of this key panthic post, said that he never asked for this prestigious post but it was a duty of the party president to evolve the consensus for it.

Clarifying that he was not against Mr Avtar Singh, Mr Calcutta said that the party president should have suggested the name for teh SGOC presidentship at the SADS's PAC meet.

''We were with Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, Jai Parkash Narain and Gurcharan Singh Tohra who fought against the dynastic rule in India and then how could we accept the dynasty in SAD,'' he quipped.

When asked about projection of Mr Badal's son Sukhbir Singh Badal as a senior party leader, Mr calcutta said that Sukhbir was welcomed in the party not as the son of the party president but as a party member to be assessed according to his work and contribution for the party.

UNI XC PS DH RAI0417