(Sukhbir Badal announces SAD will contest 2019 polls and emerge victorious)
Pipli (Kurukshetra), August 19 - The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today made it clear that it would now vie for power in Haryana, with its president Sukhbir Singh Badal announcing the party would contest the 2019 parliamentary elections independently and emerge victorious.
Addressing the party’s first ever one lakh strong independent rally and creating history in the process, the SAD president said “we have promised and delivered in Punjab. Now we are ready to take up the responsibility of working for the welfare of people of Haryana. I appeal to Punjabis to to unite under the flag of the SAD to script a new history in Haryana. No one can stop you from acquiring power once you unite as one with the SAD”, he added.
Delivering a flawless speech amidst enthusiastic cheering by the congregation, Mr Badal announced the party would implement free power policy for the agriculture sector once it returned to power in Haryana. He also announced free piped irrigation water to all fields, 400 units free power per month to Dalits besides a slew of facilities for all sections of society.
Making it clear that the SAD would take on the Congress party aggressively in Haryana, the SAD president said the Congress would always remain the enemy party of the SAD. He assured the congregation that the SAD would continue the struggle for justice for 1984 genocide victims as long as its perpetrators who had been constantly given shelter by the Gandhi family were not jailed.
Mr Badal also delved on how the Punjabi community was discriminated against by the Congress party be it during the emergency or later during the period of militancy. He said even now the community was facing incidents of discrimination as had occurred recently at Hisar where a Sikh family was victim to a target attack.”We can stop all this only by wresting political power”, he added.
SAD Haryana incharge Balwinder Singh Bhundur highlighted how Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal had benefitted farmers and downtrodden by the free power facility as well as unique schemes like “Shagun” and “aata-daal”. He said such schemes could be replicated in Haryana if the people supported the SAD.
Senior leader Prem Singh Chandumajra urged Punjabis not to let anyone use them to achieve their petty political goals and urged them to support the SAD which was their true representative. Bibi Jagir Kaur disclosed how it was only the SAD which was working to ensure injustice meted out to them like the Hondh Chillar massacre of Sikhs was addressed.
Haryana SAD president Sharanjit Singh Sohta said there was a feeling that various political parties in Haryana had not given due respect to Punjabis and now the entire community was looking up to the SAD to lead it.
Others present on the occasion included Surjit Singh Rakhra, Jeet Mohinder Sidhu, Avtar Singh Hit, and Harinderpal Chandumajra and Charanjit Brar besides Haryana SAD leaders including Balkor Singh, Raghujit Singh Virk, Amarjit Singh Mangi, Baldev Singh Kaimpur, Ravinder Kaur Ajrana, Kartar Kaur, Balbir Singh and Sukhbir Singh Mandi.
