Claiming to be the most senior regional party of India, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday stated that the parties, mushrooming months prior to elections including the recently born Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), could never rise to the expectations of the people as they were bound by “ambition and opportunism” alone.
On the other hand, it maintained that every political party was born out of people's expectations, grew on sacrifices of its members and survived on its achievements.
SAD and its leaders were always ready for any sacrifice to safeguard the interests of the State unlike the new parties and leaders who had done nothing, said senior SAD leaders and MPs Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Balwinder Singh Bhundur, in a joint statement.
“In fact, AAP has backstabbed the farmers of the State on the issue of SYl canal. Also none of the new parties or even the old party — the Congress — could match the last nine year achievements of the SAD-BJP combine,” they added.
They said that the emergence of AAP and other mushrooming parties was part of a process whereby over-ambitious people were trying to confuse voters to reap the spoils of power. “However, no amount of comedy shows, stunts and false propaganda can take the work of genuine work undertaken under the leadership of Parkash Singh Badal…He has not only taken Punjab into the next trajectory of development but also ensured peace and communal harmony at all costs,” they added.
Dhindsa and Bhundur said that all new parties must first showcase their track record to the people. “If one is to go by AAP, it has failed to provide a few thousand jobs even though it promised 25 lakh new jobs to the voters of Delhi. AAP opened few dispensaries to fulfil its promise of Mohalla clinics,” they said.
Commenting about the new front, they said that the better as it is headed by professional agitationists who have nothing positive to offer to the people.