The Shiromani Akali Dal got a shot in the arm ahead of the Lok Sabha polls with former Union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on Tuesday merging his Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) with the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal.
Speaking to reporters here, Dhindsa termed the merger as “a joint responsibility to bring Punjab back on track”, while Badal called it a “merger of two families”. Dhindsa and his son and former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa were expelled from the SAD in February 2020 for alleged anti-party activities, after which they floated the SAD (Sanyukt).
The talks for the reunion commenced in December last year when Badal sought an apology for the sacrilege incidents that took place during the Akali regime in 2015. He had then appealed to dissident Akali leaders to shun their differences to come under one flag.
The SAD (Sanyukt) had contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls in alliance with the BJP.
After the merger, Dhindsa said, “There was an overwhelming feeling among our leaders and workers to merge with the SAD to effect unity in the ‘Panth’.” The former Rajya Sabha member said the entire party felt that Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed heartfelt remorse for the cases of sacrilege which occurred in 2015. “Present times demand that the SAD should be strong, which will make the ‘panth’ strong. Sukhbir Singh Badal is like my son,” said Dhindsa.
Earlier, SAD president Badal visited the Dhindsa’s residence here along with senior leaders of the party including those from Sangrur district. Addressing the media at Dhindsa’s residence, Badal termed the merger as a “merger of two families”. He also appealed to Dhindsa to take on responsibility as patron of the SAD since he was the senior most Akali leader after the demise of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.