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PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
CHANDIGARH, Dec 18: There was a lull in the rival Akali Dal camps today, after Thursday's developments that climaxed in an appeal by Akal Takht jathedar Ranjit Singh to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC Chief G S Tohra to end their confrontation.
Tohra, to whom the Disciplinary Action Committee of the Akali Dal had issued a show-cause notice yesterday for his public utterances against the Badal Government, said in Amritsar that he would maintain complete silence. The jathedar's appeal would be treated by him as ``a directive'', Tohra said.
When asked what the solution to the current crisis was, Tohra said he could not suggest any. Badal, who attended some official functions in Jalandhar, declined to say anything on the current controversy or the show-cause notice issued to Tohra.
Meanwhile, a meeting of Tohra loyalists scheduled for Sunday in Ludhiana, was``deferred''in view of the appeal by the jathedar to avoid confrontation.
Akali leader Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, who had resigned asEducation Minister from the Badal Ministry, said Tohra loyalists had some discussion on the current situation but declined to divulge the details, saying that they had adopted a ``wait and watch policy''.
Interestingly, both Tohra and Badal were in Amritsar today, visiting the residence of Manjit Singh Calcutta (one of the Tohra loyalists who had resigned from the Ministry) in connection with a private function, but did not come face to face.
in amritsar, tohra said he would maintain complete silence on the conflict with badal as had been directed by bhai ranjit singh. Tohra told reporters he would not refer to any objectionable thing as he considered the appeal of jathedar a "directive".
He also refused to say anything on the show cause notice served on him by the party's disciplinary action committee. "What i have to do of the notice would not be told to you," he said.
Significantly, both badal and tohra attended the "sagan" ceremony of son of manjit singh calcutta, who resigned as a punjabminister last week in protest against the alleged victimisation of tohra by badal. Calcutta has since been made the secretary of sgpc.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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