Maintaining that the Shiromani Akali Dal’s fight was with the Congress and not the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and party president Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday said that Indian National lok Dal (INlD) and SAD alliance would form the next Government in Haryana.
“SAD’s fight is with the Congress and not the BJP and it would work to oust the corrupt Congress regime from Haryana politics,” said Sukhbir while interacting with the media after Vidhan Sabha Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal administered oath to SAD’s newly elected MlA from Talwandi Sabo, Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu.
“SAD’s ties with the INlD are decades old and will continue,” said Sukhbir while disclosing that the party would announce its two candidates for Ambala and Kolianwali assembly constituencies in the next two days
Talking about SAD’s ties with its ally in Punjab and also at the national level, Sukhbir said that its ties with the BJP in Punjab were “permanent and not open to any speculation or conjecture”.
He maintained that the SAD-BJP alliance would contest the forthcoming civic polls in the state “together, as per its traditional seat sharing formula”. At the same time, Sukhbir claimed that five more MlAs were ready to join the Akali Dal. “The party is examining their requests as well as looking for appropriate time to induct them into the SAD fold,” he said.
On the reorganization of the party’s structure, Sukhbir said that in 1996, as per Moga resolution, “SAD has transformed itself into a Punjabi party...It is in keeping with this ethos and identity that important responsibilities have been assigned to leaders of the Hindu community as well as other communities in the organizational structure”.
SAD chief also clarified that the party was appointing four Youth Akali Dal presidents in the State to ensure more connectivity of the party with the masses at the grassroot level.
Responding to the allegations of horse-trading by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, Sukhbir said: “AAP is a group of frustrated persons and their chief Arvind Kejriwal has openly admitted that he made a mistake by resigning as chief minister of Delhi... BJP-SAD is all set to form the people friendly government in the national capital to fulfill the demands of the people.”