AMRITSAR: Governor Tamil Nadu Surjit Singh Barnala alongwith his wife Surjit Kaur Saturday paid obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum of Harmandhar Sahib popularly known as Golden Temple.

Surjit Kaur wife of Barnala talking to the media, confirmed that her Political party (Akali Dal Longowal) determined to contest SGPC General Elections to be held next year in the State. She said that they would contest elections to break the hegemony of Punjab Chief Minister  Parkash Singh Badal.

It may be mentioned here that Surjit Singh Barnala is also former Chief Minister Punjab and his son Gaganjit Singh Barnala had lost election in the last General Assembly Elections. Recently Gaganjit former MLA from Dhuri assembly constituency was expelled from the SAD Badal party due to his alleged anti party activities as he was allegedly instrumental behind the defeat of SAD senior leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa who lost parliament elections from Sangrur parliament constituency.

Surjit Singh Barnala served as chief minsiter of Punjab from September 29- 1985 until May 11, 1987 Barnala, a Sikh and a member of the Sikh political party Shriomani Akali Dal Longowal served as chief minsiter at a difficult time, this was a period of terrorism in Punjab. The state had been in Barnala's rule from 1983 to 1985, and after nearly two years in office,  presdient rule was  imposed.

Since then, Barnala has served as a governor of several states. He first served as Governor of Tamil Nadu from 1990 to 1991 for about seven months. Barnala refused to recommend the dismissal of the Tamil Nadu government, and when he was later transferred as Governor of Bihar he choose to resign. He was the Governor of  Uttarakhand from its creation in 2000 until 2003, and Governor of Andhra Pardesh from 2003 to 2004 , and he took up his current post as Governor of Tamil-Nadu .