AMRITSAR: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today while thanking the Gurmat Siddhant Pracharak Sant Samaj & Valmiki Samaj for the support extended to the SAD-BSP alliance, appealed to Punjabis to support their own party - SAD and reject all the ‘Dilli dals’ including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP.
Asserting that the days of the government which was built on falsities were numbered, the SAD President, who had come here to pay obeisance at Sri Darbar Sahib, said “the fight in Punjab has become one between Punjabis and outsiders and I am confident that the Khalsa panth and Punjabis will repose faith in the SAD which has always safeguarded their interests”.
Asserting that the SAD was the only party which had spelt out its agenda, Mr Sukhbir Badal said both the Congress and AAP had even failed to release their election manifestos. “The Congress party has copied some points from our manifesto and released advertisements claiming they are part of the party’s manifesto. The truth is that the Congress party has not published any manifesto whatsoever”. He said AAP had not even tried to back up its so-called guarantees with a formal election manifesto document because it knew it would not implement any of the “guarantees”.
In an appeal to Punjabis, the SAD President urged them to give a decisive mandate to the SAD-BSP combine to bring Punjab back on track. He said the SAD-BSP alliance represented the aspirations of each and every section of society which was betrayed during the last five years. “We have interacted with each and every section of society and come out with a unique manifesto which addresses the concerns of farmers, youth, traders, scheduled caste and backward castes as well as government employees and the industry. We are also committed to ending gangster culture in Punjab and ensuring the rule of law prevails. Uppermost we are committed to social brotherhood, peace and communal harmony. We believe in the composite culture of Punjab as espoused by the Guru Sahiban and deeply venerated saints like Guru Ravidas ji. We have always followed the policy of ‘sarbat da bhala’ and taken everyone along in the path of progress. We will continue to do this”.
Answering a query about the statement of founding member of AAP – Kumar Vishwas that AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal had solicited support from Khalistani elements, Mr Badal said “Kejriwal has done this in 2017 also and even stayed at the residence of a known radical in Moga”. He said Kejriwal’s links with the banned Khalistani outfit – Sikhs for Justice should be probed thoroughly.
In answer to another question, Mr Badal said Kejriwal was a dictator who wanted to usurp power in Punjab for himself. “Bhagwant Mann is a dummy who has been only projected as a chief ministerial candidate”.
Replying to a query Mr Badal said the SAD-BSP alliance was committed to bringing Sri Amritsar Sahib on the world map as a religious and tourist hub even as he said the party would take up for completion the memorial of Guru Ravidas ji at Kuralgarh which was ignored for the last five years.