Sangrur:

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has an “understanding” with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to split AAP into a separate Punjab unit after the elections, like Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde did in Maharashtra, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed on Saturday.

Badal made the claim while addressing rallies at Sunam and Dhuri for the Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) Sangrur candidate Iqbal Singh Jhundan.

“Bhagwant Mann has compromised with the BJP as he felt he would also be arrested like his boss (Arvind) Kejriwal because he had also perpetrated the same liquor scam as done by AAP in Delhi. This understanding has saved him from arrest,” Badal alleged.

Shiv Sena leader Shinde became Maharashtra chief minister after parting ways with Uddhav Thackeray and forming an alliance with the BJP.

The Election Commission of India has since recognised the Shinde faction as officially representing the Shiv Sena while the Thackeray-led faction has been using the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) name.

The Shiromani Akali Dal chief also asserted that no Delhi-based party can be trusted with votes.

“Bhagwant Mann has opened channels with both the BJP and the Congress to hedge his bet. While he has an informal understanding with the BJP, he has also aligned with the Congress in Punjab and is putting up a friendly fight in most constituencies,” Badal said.

He cited how AAP is contesting against the Congress in Punjab but Mann has been campaigning for the grand old party in Chandigarh and Haryana.

AAP and the Congress are constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc. While the two parties are contesting the Lok Sabha elections independently in Punjab, they have an alliance in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh.

Urging Punjabis to “seal the borders” for all Delhi-based parties, Badal said, “The AAP government in Punjab and the Union government colluded to prevent our farmers from marching to Delhi. This led to firing of tear gas shells at our farmers and even firing of rubber bullets. Now it is your turn to seal the borders of Punjab with your votes.” He also made a case for trusting the Shiromani Akali Dal — a home-grown party of Punjab.

Badal said the Shiromani Akali Dal has always stood for safeguarding the interests of Punjab and decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections alone when it became clear that the BJP was not ready to resolve any of the pending grievances of the farmers or the Sikh community.

He also announced that once the Shiromani Akali Dal is elected to power, it will release tubewell connections to all agriculturists who do not have a single connection in their name.

He also promised that all social welfare schemes that have been curtailed by successive Congress and AAP governments would be revived in totality.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chandigarh:

Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, former Union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa Tuesday merged his Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) with the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal.

The development came days after Dhindsa and Badal held talks to finalise the reunion.

Later, speaking to reporters here, Mr Dhindsa termed the merger as “a joint responsibility to bring Punjab back on track”, while Mr Badal called it a “merger of two families”.

The Shiromani Akali Dal family has been further strengthened today with the merger of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) led by its president S Sukhdev Singh Ji Dhindsa into the party.
I thank Dhindsa Sahab for responding to my call for Panthic unity, and appeal to all Akali… pic.twitter.com/aR13xLKzQp

— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) March 5, 2024

Mr Dhindsa and his son and former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa were expelled from the SAD in February 2020 for alleged anti-party activities, after which they floated the SAD (Sanyukt).

The talks for the reunion commenced in December last year when Badal sought an apology for the sacrilege incidents that took place during the Akali regime in 2015.

He had then appealed to dissident Akali leaders to shun their differences to come under one flag.

The merger came amid the buzz over the SAD-BJP reunion. The Akalis had quit the NDA in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws.

The SAD (Sanyukt) had contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls in alliance with the BJP.

After the merger, Dhindsa said, “There was an overwhelming feeling among our leaders and workers to merge with the SAD to effect unity in the ‘Panth’.” The former Rajya Sabha member said the entire party felt that Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed heartfelt remorse for the cases of sacrilege which occurred in 2015.

“Accordingly, I called a meeting of the party’s district presidents yesterday and they gave the go-ahead for the merger,” he said.

“Present times demand that the SAD should be strong, which will make the ‘panth’ strong. Sukhbir Singh Badal is like my son,” said Dhindsa.

“You are seeing Punjab’s situation today, the situation of law and order. It is our responsibility that we collectively raise our voice,” he said.

“The day Sukhbir Badal apologised before Akal Takht, we formed a five-member committee and took feedback from people across Punjab and the majority suggested that we should unite. I spoke with my party’s senior leaders and they authorised that whatever decision I take will be acceptable to them,” said Dhindsa.

Earlier, SAD president Badal visited Mr Dhindsa’s residence here along with senior leaders of the party including those from Sangrur district.

Addressing the media at Mr Dhindsa’s residence, Mr Badal termed the merger as a “merger of two families”.

He also appealed to Dhindsa to take on responsibility as patron of the SAD since he was the senior most Akali leader after the demise of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.

He said Dhindsa, along with senior leaders like Balwinder Singh Bhundar, had built the SAD along with Parkash Singh Badal at “great personal cost”.

He also assured all the leaders of the SAD (Sanyukt) who joined the SAD of full respect and honour.

Mr Badal also welcomed Mr Dhindsa’s son Parminder Dhindsa into the party fold on the occasion while appreciating the leader’s contribution towards Punjab.

He also issued a clarion appeal to all Akali leaders who left the party on one pretext or another, to rejoin it saying “The SAD alone is capable of safeguarding the aspirations of Punjabis”.

During this appeal, the SAD president even joined his hands and said “I am ready to apologise to everyone”.

To a media query, Mr Badal reiterated, “I appeal to Bibi Jagri Kaur ji with folded hands to return to the party fold.” “If Punjab is to be saved, strengthen the SAD. The only party which can sacrifice anything for the people of Punjab,” said Badal.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)