Former Army chief J J Singh resigns from SAD, cites personal reasons

PATIALA: Former Army chief Gen J J Singh (retd) on Wednesday resigned from the Shiromani Akali Dal and presidency of its ex-servicemen wing, citing personal reasons.
In his resignation sent to party president Sukhbir 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, ex-Servicemen wing, 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.
Gen Singh (retd), who also served as the governor of Arunachal Pradesh, had joined the SAD on January 7, 2017, ahead of the Punjab assembly elections and unsuccessfully contested against chief minister Amarinder Singh from the Patiala assembly constituency. 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 SAD had not been a happy affair and soon after losing the 2017 elections, he had accused the party leadership of sabotaging his election campaign. While leaving Patiala after the polls, he had taken up the matter with party president Sukhbir Badal, seeking action against these Akali leaders. However, no action was taken. Before he found himself on a sticky wicket while contesting the elections, he had tried to impose ‘Army discipline’ on the SAD cadre in Patiala, but it proved to be his undoing within the party.