Amidst demands to jointly support the candidature of Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra from Khadoor Sahib constituency, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) on Thursday made it clear that there would be no change in the three candidates the party had fielded already.
The party has announced Bir Devinder Singh, advocate Rajdev Singh Khalsa and General JJ Singh as its candidates for May 19 Lok Sabha election in Punjab from Sri Anandpur Sahib, Sangrur and Khadoor Sahib constituencies respectively.
“There is no change in the three candidates already fielded by the party. They have been fielded by the party and there should be no doubt about the change of their nominations by the party,” clarified SAD Taksali president Ranjit Singh Brahmpura.
Speaking on the support to Khalra by Dakha MLA HS Phoolka, Brahmpura said that Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA), led by Sukhpal Singh Khaira, had held eight meetings with him, “but did not mention the name of Paramjeet Kaur Khalra”.
“Sacrifice by her husband is really great and Bibi Khalra need not to be fielded as a Parliament candidate, she should rather be got elected to the Rajya Sabha by all parties if they are sincere to honour her husband’s sacrifice,” said Brahmpura.
At the same time, party candidate and former Indian Army chief General JJ Singh said: “The party president has shown full faith on me and my campaign in Khadoor Sahib constituency is getting huge public response. I shall continue it vigorously in days to come.”
At the same time, SAD Taksali’s founder leader Sewa Singh Sekhwan made it clear that there was “no iota of truth in the rumours being spread by some mischievous persons on social media about my differences with the senior leadership of the party”.
“I have firm belief in discipline in the party and always stand by the party and party leadership,” said Sekhwan, Taksali’s secretary general, adding that the rumours are being spread to dent the party’s image which is gaining strength by each passing day which is totally wrong, false and incorrect.
A day after Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh visited Dera Beas reportedly to seek its support during elections, Sekhwan said that his party would never go to the Deras to seek support.
“Capt Amarinder government has failed to show any result on the ground level and so he and his party men are now approaching Deras to seek support. But we shall rather go to the public to seek their support instead of Deras,” Sekhwan said.
Adding, Brahmpura said: “Instead of working for the public welfare by implementing various schemes, both Badals and the Congress believe in Dera politics, which is totally against the democratic set up of the country.”
Criticizing Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal for not listening to him on the party platform, Brahmpura said that he tried his best to make former Chief Minister aware about the sharp decline in the party graph, but he did not listen to him.
“I told Parkash Singh Badal that Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia are destroying the party’s basic ideology by looting the State and leading to the suffering of people, but he did not even paid any heed to my repeated attempts to save the party,” Brahmpura said.