Talking to mediapersons, he said he could consider initiating the unity process only if Badal fulfilled these two conditions. He said he had made these conditions clear to Badal when they parted ways. He had even deferred the launch of his new political party, the AISAD, waiting and hoping that better sense would prevail upon Badal and he would appear at the Akal Takht and seek forgiveness for trying to undermine the authority and supremacy of the Takht.

Tohra recalled that even the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership, including Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Union Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani, had not shown much initiative in bringing about rapprochement between him and Badal when the two fell out. He said he had personally met the two senior BJP leaders and stressed upon them the need to keep the Akali Dal leadership together but they had not taken the matter seriously.

The AISAD chief said his party was working out strategy for the forthcoming elections for presidentship of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and it would be made public shortly. He dismissed as baseless allegations being levelled against him that he had any sort of secret understanding with the Congress. He said he would never have any truck with the Congress.

Earlier, addressing a dharna organised by his party to demand rollback of the hike in diesel prices, Tohra accused the Badal government of indulging in extravagant and wasteful spendings.

Tohra demanded immediate abolition of police districts designated during the peak of militancy saying that the big army of senior police officers could be utilised elsewhere because several vacancies of IPS officers from Punjab quota in the Centre were still lying vacant. He also demanded disbanding of the eight-member Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board since it had become non-functional because of a ban on recruitment in different government departments.

Prominent among others who joined the dharna outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner on the Mall included former MP Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, legislators Jagtar Singh Rajla and Surjit Singh Kohli, and senior Akali leaders like Sardara Singh Kohli and Rajinder Singh Tohra.