Two days after a new political party by the name of ‘United Akali Dal’ was floated in the State, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday said: “Any new Akali Dal that is formed has no future in Punjab”.
Maintaining that Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) represents “Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiyat in real sense”, Badal said that people would reject the newly-floated party.
“The newly formed United Akali Dal will prove to be a total non-entity in the State politics as the people of State will completely reject it,” said Badal while interacting with reporters on the sidelines of convocation of the Amritsar Government Medical College.
The Chief Minister said that the Punjabis were well aware of the fact that “every so called offspring of the SAD is formed at the behest of those people who work against the interests of the State”.
Eighty-six-year-old Chief Minister claimed that as such outfits were “totally bereft” of any ideological commitment, they would have no impact on Punjab politics.
To provide an alternative to the ruling SAD in Punjab, United Akali Dal was formed last week by the leaders of various Sikh organisations including Bhai Mokhan Singh, a member of Mehta-based seminary, Damdami Taksal.
Recalling SAD’s “glorious track record” in safeguarding the interests of Punjabis, Badal said that the people had “reposed their faith in the pragmatic and pro-people policies of Akali Dal time and again”.
The five-time Chief Minister said that people had given their verdict to SAD for serving two premier institutions of Sikhpanth — the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee — and this reflects “how they recognize SAD as the only representative of the Punjab and Khalsa Panth”.
“Any new party can mushroom up in the State, but no one can match the commitment and dedication of SAD towards Punjab,” he claimed.
Replying to another query of a rift between the SAD and BJP in the State, Badal categorically said that all the decisions regarding the state were taken jointly by the SAD-BJP alliance. “The Cabinet comprises of ministers from both the alliance partners and there is hardly any scope of one-sided decision by one partner of coalition,” said Badal.