Former Chief of Army Staff calls it quits from SAD, keeps political options open

PATIALA: Citing personal reasons, former Chief of Army Staff JJ Singh, who had unsuccessfully contested the last assembly elections from Patiala against chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh resigned from the party and presidency of its ex-servicemen wing.

General (RETD) JJ Singh had joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on January 7, 2017, prior to the Punjab Assembly elections and he had been introduced as a heavyweight contestant against Capt Amarinder Singh.

Before joining active politics, he had served as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. He is the first Sikh officer to become the Chief of Army Staff and served from January 31, 2005, to September 30, 2007. He also fought the 1965 and 1971 wars and his active participating in the Kargil war was later included in his autobiography.

His stint with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had not been a happy affair as soon after losing the 2017 elections, he had accused the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leadership of sabotaging his election campaign.

While leaving Patiala after the elections, he had accused some of the SAD leaders of spoiling his winning protects and he had also taken up the matter with the party president Sukhbir Badal seeking action against these Akali leaders, that was never initiated. Before he found himself on a sticky wicket while contesting the elections, his ‘army discipline’, that he tried to impose on the SAD cadre in Patiala, had proved to be his undoing within the party.

In his resignation sent to party president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday, he wrote, “I wish to inform you with a heavy heart that I have resigned from Shiromani Akali Dal and from the position of President Shiromani Akali Dal with immediate effect due to personal reasons.”

However, he maintained that he would continue with his mission to serve the people hinting that he his option were still open.