Support base intact despite veterans’ exit, says Sukhbir

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 21

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia today initiated a campaign to mobilise party workers from Ajnala, the stronghold of former MP Rattan Singh Ajnala and his son Amarpal Singh Bony Ajnala.

Targeting the rebel leaders, Sukhbir emphasised that despite rebellious attitude of a handful of veterans, there had been no constraint of supporters for the SAD.

“The Akali Dal is the mother party of Punjabis and was never anybody’s personal property. I have visited at least 25 assembly constituencies only to discover that the party’s support base is intact and growing. Punjabis would never accept the Congress or its unholy alliance with various factions, be it AAP, PEP or Taksalis,” he said.

He said Sukhpal Singh Khaira had contested four elections as a Congressman and he was destined to return to the Congress soon.

Attacking the current regime, he said not only the people of Punjab, even Congress MLAs did not have access to their CM. “During our tenure, either me or Badal sahib would visit every constituency at least twice a month. What to talk of bringing new projects, the existing ones were scuttled by the Congress,” he claimed.

Majithia said a grand assembly of SAD workers would be scheduled at Khadoor Sahib to answer the misconception of Taksalis. Meetings have been scheduled at Khadoor Sahib and Jandiala Guru on January 29, Attari and Baba Bakala January 23 and Tarn Taran and Amritsar South January 24.

On the other hand, the SAD (Taksali) has also scheduled their show of strength in Bathinda on January 23, the stronghold of the Badals.