SAD launches slams Damdami Taksal chief ahead of protest

Jalandhar: A day ahead of Damdami Taksal leading a protest outside SGPC head office in the Darbar Sahib complex, the Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday launched a frontal attack against taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma. They branded him a "tool of central govt and agencies", questioned his support to the BJP in Maharashtra, and urged him "not to play into their hands".
On Thursday, Dhumma said the protest was being organised by the entire Sant Samaj, Taksal, and nihang organisations and appealed to the people to reach Amritsar in large numbers. SAD's supporters on social media and its IT cell have been attacking Dhumma since he announced the protest at a meeting in Anandpur Sahib on March 14. Some days ago, he alleged that a character assassination campaign was launched against him. Afterwards, taksal supporters and Sukhbir's supporters exchanged barbs on Facebook.
Dhumma has been countering attacks from Sukhbir's camps and answering their questions and allegations, including his support to BJP in Maharashtra, while also remaining on the offensive for the unceremonious sacking of takht jathedars.
However, senior SAD leaders have been avoiding any direct attack on the taksal chief, leaving it mainly to SAD general secretary and national spokesperson Parambans Singh Romana to confront him. Most other leaders, who have been strongly attacking other detractors of former SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, have largely stayed silent on the bitterness towards the taksal chief. On Thursday, Romana, in a video statement posted on SAD's social media accounts, said: "It is sad that the taksal head has become a tool in the hands of the govt in Delhi and its agencies. He is not bothered about the panth and is just following their directions. You will not hear anything from him against the Centre."
Alleging that RSS-BJP have taken control of management bodies of Takht Hazur Sahib, Patna Sahib, and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Romana said now they wanted to take control of the remaining three Sikh takhts in Punjab. "The tools of RSS and BJP should be identified. Dhumma made an attempt at Anandpur Sahib (of convening a meeting) but people rejected him, and now also he should be rejected," he said.
He urged the taksal chief not to play into BJP's hands. "For your one case, you have come under their pressure," he said without specifying the case. Arguing that if dharnas have to be staged, they should go outside the houses of the leaders, Romana said the need was to identify the forces of BJP and the community should unite and reject their protest.
SAD's social media accounts also posted former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna's statement. "Don't become a handle of Delhi-based forces who are aiming to weaken the community," he asked Dhumma. "Sants should not side with any person or organisation about whom the Panth knows they are not with the Panth, but with Delhi," he said.
Sarna also mentioned that he had several objections to Dhumma's statement justifying his taking a bath at Prayagraj Kumbh as he "wrongly cited Sikh history". "Don't go with anti-Panthic forces and other sants should also not accompany him," he added.
Dissident Akali leaders have expressed support to the protest by the Damdami Taksal chief, even as former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur earlier cautioned that the situation could escalate on March 28 due to the protest and advocated resolution through dialogue.