Badal visits councillor’s house to pacify him

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 16

After talks of four senior disgruntled SAD councillors joining the Congress on Thursday in the city, former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal visited the residence of SAD councillor Nirmal Sandhu on Wednesday evening to pacify him.

Parkash Singh Badal was accompanied by SAD former MLA Sarup Chand Singla. It is learnt that Badal succeeded in pacifying Sandhu.

While talking to mediapersons, Parkash Singh Badal said, “I will not say anything as I am not the party president. I am a common worker and have come here just to meet Sandhu. These things happen in the family and it’s a normal thing.”

When he was asked whether he would be able pacify other councillors and stop them from joining the Congress, Badal said he appealed to them that SAD was their mother party, which had sacrifice many lives for the nation.

“During our government, we strengthened communal harmony, whereas other parties are working to weaken it,” he said.

Badal refused to comment on the allegation made by councillor Rajinder Singh Sidhu while resigning that Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal directed to lodge a case against Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in 2007 and later they directed him to take back the case.

Replying to a query on the suspension of Congress MLA from Zira from the party, Badal said it was the internal matter of the Congress and he wouldn’t comment on this.

While talking to media-persons, Nirmal Sandhu said, “It is a great thing for him that Parkash Singh Badal visited his house and denied that he had no plan to join the Congress.”

A few days ago, councilors Harmander Singh Sidhu, Nirmal Singh Sandhu, Baljit Singh Raju Sran and Rajinder Singh Sidhu had resigned from SAD over Congress leader Iqbal Singh Dhillon coming to SAD.

They had also alleged that they are irked over the PA culture that is been imposed on them by the party high command.

It is learnt that since morning, speculation was on that these councillors will join the Congress, although no formal announcement had been made by the party so far.

Nirmal Sandhu is the face of SAD in the trans-railway line area and it would have been a great setback for SAD if he had joined the Congress ahead of Lok Sabha elections.