SANGRUR: One day after the appeal of Sri Akal Takht Sahib to Akali factions to unite, veteran Akali leader and former minister Baldev Singh Mann today rejoined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the presence of its president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
The SAD president, who visited the residence of S Baldev Singh Mann at village Sullar Gharat in Dirba constituency, to reinduct him into the party, said it gave him immense happiness that the veteran leader had acted upon the directive of Sri Akal Takht Sahib to rejoin his parent party. “I had yesterday also requested all leaders who have left the SAD on one pretext or another to come back into the party fold. I am grateful to S Baldev Singh Mann for responding to my appeal”.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sukhbir Badal said S Baldev Singh Mann was like a father figure to him being one of the senior most Akali leaders having fought his first election in 1971. He said it was persons like the veteran leader who had enriched the SAD with their sacrifices. In a sign of extreme humbleness, Mr Badal urged the veteran leader to bless him with a ‘siropa’ in keeping with his senior most status rather than the other way round.
Badal also spoke on how political parties of Delhi had always betrayed Punjabis. He said Punjab was discriminated against from the very beginning with its waters being given to Rajasthan. “We were even denied our State capital besides witnessing Punjabi speaking areas being left out of the State during its reorganization”.
He said even now nothing was being done to safeguard the interests of the State by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which was milking State as well as private resources of Punjabis to spread its tentacles across the country. Mr Badal gave the example of how AAP had come up with a scam to rob farmers of 65, 000 acres of land in the name of a land pooling scheme. “Though the Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed this scheme for one month we will not rest till it is revoked by the AAP government”. He urged party workers to prepare for the forthcoming Morcha against the land grabbing scheme being led by him from Amb Sahib in Mohali on September 1.
Badal also urged the party workers to gear up for the 2027 elections, stating the SAD was committed to freeing Punjab from the clutches of outsiders. “We are committed to work to regain the old glory of Punjab which has been destroyed by both the previous Congress and present AAP government. We will not only give an impetus to agriculture and rural development which is in shambles once we come to power but also bring industry into Punjab and create employment opportunities for the youth”, he added.