Chandigarh, January 13, 2020 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said the alacrity with which Congress ministers had jumped into the fray to help mp Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and his son Parminder Dhindsa in their fight against the SAD proved that they were being used as pawns by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh in a desperate attempt to weaken the panthic party after failing on all fronts.
In a statement here, senior SAD leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundur and Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra said the closeness between Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and the chief minister had become apparent during a recent dinner meeting between the two. “Now with Congress ministers taking on the job of Spokespersons for the Dhindsa family it is clear that they are working as per a fixed game plan in collusion with each other.
The cat is out of the bag. The Dhindsa faction, which consists of Mr Dhindsa, his son Parminder and son in law Tejinderpal Singh Sidhu only, are being feted and supported by the Congress party with the sole aim of splitting Panthic votes”.
Stating that the Congress party was living in a fool’s paradise, the senior leaders said the entire rank and file of the SAD was solidly behind party President Sukhbir Singh Badal. “The truth is that no one had left the SAD to join the Dhindsa faction.
“As many as 11 SGPC members from Sangrur and Barnala are standing rock solid with the SAD. Even the four Circle Presidents nominated by the Dhindsa family recently have chosen to side with the SAD”.
Mr Bhundur and Prof Chandumajra said instead of trying to form a broad alliance with the Congress to take on the SAD, Mr Sukhdev Dhindsa should first explain his own conduct to the people.
Isn’t it a fact that Mr Dhindsa has won only one election in the past 35 years? Hasn’t the SAD under the leadership of S Parkash Singh Badal and S Sukhbir Singh Badal rewarded him with plum posts by nominating him to the Rajya Sabha besides making him a central minister? ”
The senior SAD leaders said Mr Dhindsa was making statements that the SAD President should step down as the party had lost the last assembly election under the latter’s leadership but was silent about his own accountability.
“Why didn’t you ever offer your resignation as Secretary General of the SAD, a post which is only second to the President? Did you ever say you won’t ask for a Rajya Sabha berth?” the leaders said while asking Mr Dhindsa whether it was morally correct for him demand and accept plum posts and then backstab the party which had given him so much?”.
Mr Bhundur and Prof Chandumajra said the manner in which the people had rejected Mr Dhindsa repeatedly proved that was not liked by the people. They said this was followed by the unequivocal rejection of Mr Dhindsa and his son Parminder’s leadership by the entire rank and file of the SAD recently.
“Party leaders have left the Dhindsa family because of their autocratic nature and their inability to make the party win in their area”.
Explaining the genesis of the so called revolt of the Dhindsa family in league with chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, the Akali leaders said “the Dhindsa family was used to taking all decisions in a dictatorial manner.
However when the party workers started questioning their actions and demanded transparency in the functioning of the Sangrur and Barnala units they were the first to go against panthic ideals by aligning with the Congress party which was behind the stage managed revolt”, the Akali leaders added. EOM
