The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today decided to constitute a Manifesto Committee to finalize the party manifesto for the 2022 assembly elections and announced that it would treat the manifesto as a legal document which would be implemented in the first cabinet meeting after formation of the government.
It also decided to prepare a charge sheet against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government which would expose how AAP had looted Punjab and its resources besides presiding over the complete collapse of the law and order situation and destruction of the State’s economy.
These decisions were taken following separate meetings of the SAD’s core committee and the constituency incharges which were presided over by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.Giving details, senior party leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said it was also decided that the SAD president would tour constituencies which had suffered crop losses over several lakh acres besides damage to houses and infrastructure.
He said this decision was taken after party leaders brought it to the attention of Mr Sukhbir Badal that the AAP government had not learnt any lesson from the devastating floods which had occurred in the State last year due to its failure to undertake flood protection works.
“The leaders said besides not providing compensation for crop losses due to floods, requisite protection works had not been undertaken this year also and that a major catastrophe would occur in case of heavy rain”.Dr Daljit Cheema said accordingly it had been decided to launch a movement – ‘Apna Punjab Aap Bachaiye’ under which the SAD president would visit flood prone areas, interact with the people and take up flood protection works where needed.
He said the initiative would start on July 18 and an intensive campaign would be run on July 21, 22 and 23.The Akali leader also disclosed that the SAD would wholeheartedly participate in a programme being undertaken by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee under the leadership of the Sri Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar in which Guru Dokhi and Khalsa Panth Virodhi chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s religious crimes including sacrilege against the Guru Sahiban would be exposed. He said the ‘vaheer’ would start from Sri Akal Takht on July 24 and proceed to Sri Talwandi Sabo from where it would go to Sri Anandpur Sahib.
Meanwhile, answering a media query, SAD chief spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler disclosed that Mr Sukhbir Badal would meet the SIT team on July 20 as summoned to answer all questions. He made it clear that this was a political witch hunt as the SAD president did not have anything to do with the shooting incident at Behbal Kalan as he was not even in the country at that time.
The SAD leadership also decided to form committees to organize massive rallies to mark the sacrifice of Goa martyr Karnail Singh Isru on August 15, martyrdom day of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal on August 20 and Rakhar Punya at Baba Bakala on August 28.
The Shiromani Akali Dal appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce the opening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor during his forthcoming visit to Punjab besides calling for opening of the Wagah border for trade with Pakistan. It also asserted that the Aam Aadmi Party government had bankrupted Punjab and urged that a special package be given to the State to ensure development and infrastructure development could be undertaken. It also urged that a special package be accorded for the border areas and MSP be made a legal guarantee as promised.