Senior Akali leader from Muslim-dominated Malerkotia joins Congress

5 Dariya News

Chandigarh 23-Jan-2017

In a jolt to the Shiromani Akali Dal in the Muslim-dominated area of Malerkotla, senior party leader Nadeem Anwar Khan on Monday joined the Punjab Congress, asserting that he wanted to serve the people of the area under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh.Captain Amarinder welcomed him to the party fold with the confidence that his support would further strengthen the Congress in its fight against the fascist Akalis.Nadeem Anwar Khan is a member of General Council, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and former member of the Punjab Waqf Board. With his father also having served in the Akali Dal, he had been associated with the party since his early days but said he had become disillusioned with SAD following its decision to select an outsider to contest the assembly polls from Malerkotia.A former vice president of the All India Minority and Dalit Front, Khan said the party had insulted its workers in Malerkotia by sidelining them in favour of an outsider.Earlier, in a letter addressed to the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, Khan said it seemed the SAD no longer respects the dedication and sacrifices of the workers who have been associated with Akali Dal for many decades.  He strongly objected to Sukhbir’s statement that the party had not been able to find a capable representative from among the Muslim community in Malerkotla.