Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the deliberate manner in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was avoiding announcing a candidate from Bathinda proved that it had an understanding with the Congress.In a statement here, the SAD President said AAP and Congress were acting as one in Bathinda where PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal was set to contest the parliamentary elections on the Congress symbol.Mr Badal said it was strange that while AAP was claiming it had no alliance with the Congress at the centre, it was playing hand in glove with the Congress. He said AAP had carefully selected candidates who it thought could harm the SAD in league with the Congress and even derailed a party leader's candidature in Bathinda with this goal in mind.Giving details of this conspiracy he said AAP had also chosen to field comedian Bhagwant Mann from Sangrur with the aim of harming the interests of SAD nominee and senior leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa little knowing such tactics never succeed. "A vain attempt is being made to block the tidal wave of Shri Narindra Modi", he said adding "this would not be successful as the people of Punjab will see through this conspiracy and completely reject the Congress ".
He said as far as the Bathinda parliamentary constituency was concerned, it seemed that PPP leader Manpreet Badal had become so desperate to stitch together a semblance of a fight that now he was begging AAP not to field a candidate against him or field one "as per his choice".The SAD President said due to these developments the PPP had virtually become a defunct organization which was now completely dependent on the Congress and AAP. "However both the crutches chosen by PPP will not take it far because the party rank and file of both the Congress and AAP is not ready to support the PPP leader at any cost", he added."It seems the PPP has recognized the writing on the wall", Mr Sukhbir Badal said adding this could be the only reason why it had even forsaken its own identity. He said the party had already put up posters outside its party headquarters in Bathinda in which the PPP chief's photograph appears along with the hand symbol of the Congress. He said the people of Bathinda will not tolerate such shameless chameleon like behaviour."You cannot keep changing your stance every day. From promising the people at Khatkar Kalan that he would never join the Congress, the PPP leader has by adopting the Congress symbol proved he is a step away from becoming a small time Congress leader from Bathinda. His political future role as a non entity in Punjab politics has been sealed with this act", the SAD President added.