Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal asked the top leadership of all national parties campaigning in Punjab today to clear their stand on Punjab’ river waters, State’s right to its capital city of Chandigarh, making MSP a legal right of farmers and the release of Bandi Singhs.
The SAD president, who addressed massive enthusiastic rallies at here and at Qadian, Kalanaur (Dera Baba Nanak), Gurdaspur and Batala said the top leadership of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should tell whether they would take Punjab’s side and demand a roll back to the arbitrary decision to give half of the State’s water to Rajasthan.
“The leaders should also state unequivocally that they wanted Chandigarh to the transferred to Punjab and announce that they would not go back on their statement once they reached Haryana or Delhi. Similarly they should support making MSP a legal right of farmers and announce that they were in favour of the release of all Bandi Singhs who remained incarcerated despite completion of their life sentences”.
Mr Sukhbir Badal said in case the leaders of the national parties were unable to take Punjab’s side on all these issues they did not have any right to seek votes in the State. He also announced that the SAD would continue to safeguard the interests of Punjab and was committed to seeking a just resolution to all its pending issues.
Speaking about the Congress party and its candidate Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the SAD president said “you must all keep June 1,1984 in mind when you go to cast your votes on the same day next month. You all know that Indira Gandhi attacked Sri Darbar Sahib with tanks and mortars on this day and even destroyed Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
What you might not know is the father of the Congress candidate – Santokh Singh Randhawa had congratulated Indira Gandhi for this heinous action and even said that this should have been done earlier. The time has come to take ‘hisab’ from the Randhawa family for their anti-Sikh acts”, he added.
Mr Badal also spoke on how the BJP led central government had weakened Sikh institutions and even handed over control of Takht Sri Hazur Sahib and Sri Patna Sahib to the RSS. He said what the British did not do was done by the central government which oversaw the formation of a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana after breaking the Shiromani Committee.
He said similarly the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had caused untold misery to farmers and the poorer sections of society by denying compensation for crop damage to farmers and denying social welfare benefits like Shagun, SC scholarship and free cycles to girls to the underprivileged sections of society.
Gurdaspur SAD candidate Dr Daljit Singh Cheema pointed out how the national parties had lowered the level of discourse in the parliamentary elections to such a level that the Election Commission had been forced to censure them. He said the SAD was contesting the elections on its track record of development and peace and communal harmony and that it would continue to adhere to these ideals.
Senior leaders including Guriqbal Singh Mahal, Gurbachan Singh Babbehali, Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, Baba Budh Singh ji Nikke Ghumman Wale, Ramandeep Singh Sandhu, Naresh Mahajan and Gurpartap Singh Khushalpur, were also present at the meetings.