CHANDIGARH: Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Mr. Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa has asked the Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal to immediately resign as Akali Dal president because his party despite of being a long time ally in Modi government failed miserably to protect the interests of Punjabis. He no longer has the moral and political right to remain as president of Shiromani Akali Dal.
Mr. Bajwa in a press statement issued here today said that the decision to sever ties with the BJP and come out of the NDA was in fact a "confession" of the Akali Dal. " Instead of fighting for implementing federal structure in the country, distribution of river waters as per riparian act, giving back Punjabi speaking areas to Punjab and its capital Chandigarh, implementing Swaminathathan report to get remunerative prices of agricultural produce to the farmers and fighting for the release of Sikh prisoners who have been languishing in jails for a long time despite completing their sentences, the present leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal has always been confined to the fulfill their personal interests" added Bajwa.
The Panchayat Minister said that the Shiromani Akali Dal had not severed ties with the BJP out of any principle or morality but due to political compulsion because the Punjabis completely ignored the call of Chakka Jam of the Akali Dal on September 25 and shown that they would no longer be fooled by the Akalis. He said that the anger and agitation by the Punjabi has grounded the Akalis and forced to quit the Modi government and break ties with BJP who were from the last four months supporting anti farmer bills,
Mr. Bajwa said that the double faced politics of Akalis has been time and again at the one time they were supporting the Agriculture ordinances and holding press conferences and they even put a big black mark on the remaining reputation of Parkash Singh Badal by making him issue statements in favour of the Agriculture ordinances.
If Captain Amarinder Singh was misleading the farmers on agriculture ordinances and now who is misleading them, the Pancahayat Minister questioned Akalis? He also asked the Akali leaders to explain how the same agriculture ordinances which were supporting became anti-farmer overnight when the same ordinances were enacted. Rubbishing the statement of Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal for demanding the resignation of the state Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh as absurd, Mr. Bajwa said that in fact the Akali leaders were bewildered and issuing such senseless statements.
Terming the decision of the Shiromani Akali Dal to start the Akali March from the great thrones of the Sikh Panth in Punjab on October 1 as unfortunate, Mr. Bajwa said that Akali Dal should refrain from using religion as a cover for its politics. He said that the flawed policy of the Akali Dal to use the religious sentiments and institutions of the Sikhs for their petty political interests had kept Punjab in the furnace of extremism for two decades.