Senior Akali leader and renowned Sikh scholar Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta today extended his support to the Congress. He said, under the given circumstances only Congress under the leadership of Capt Amarinder Singh could save Punjab from the disaster the Akalis led by Mr Parkash Singh Badal had pushed it into.
He declared his support to the party in the presence of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh, party in-charge for Punjab Thakur Gulchain Singh Charak, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managing Committee president Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna and others.
Mr Calcutta said, all through his life he had served the panth through Akali Dal and Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee as general secretary of the both. He said, it was no longer the same Akali Dal or the SGPC as both had become the handmaids of the Badals. He maintained that it was in the utmost interest of the panth and Punjab that Mr Badal was prevented from coming to power as it will spell doom for both.
The senior Akali leader regretted that the SGPC had lost its independence and had become an extension of the Akali Dal which in turn was controlled exclusively by the Badal family.
Both Mr Charak and Capt Amarinder welcomed Mr Calcutta’s support to the party and said, it was an indication and endorsement of the general perception that only the Congress could provide a good government and work in the interest of Punjab.
On the occasion S Pardeep Singh Walia, president Akali Jatha Amritsar (urban) and a member of the Working Committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal joined the Congress with 25 other senior party leaders from Amritsar. Mr Walia promised that they will ensure that the Congress won all the five urban seats of Amritsar.