Talwandi Sabo, May 8, 2024 (Yes Punjab News)
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today appealed to Punjabis to seal the borders of Punjab with their votes against Delhi based parties in the same manner in which chief minister Bhagwant Mann and home minister Amit Shah had sealed the borders to prevent farmers from proceeding to Delhi to voice their grievances before the central government.
The SAD president, who addressed a massive public gathering here in favour of the party’s Bathinda parliamentary constituency candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal, also welcomed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bathinda Rural president Ravipreet Singh Sidhu back into the SAD.
He said Ravipreet, who belonged to a panthic family and had worked for the SAD in this constituency earlier, was known as an honest and sincere person and that his return to the SAD would strengthen the party in the constituency.
The SAD president also made it clear on the occasion that it was the SAD cadre who had ousted former Talwandi Sabo legislator Jeet Mohinder Sidhu from the party. “The cadre was fed up by Jeet Mohinder’s arrogance and misbehavior and had compelled the party to take this step”.
Meanwhile Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Mr Bikram Singh Majithia also welcomed Ravipreet back into the party fold. They said Ravipreet had been part of the SAD family and his return would bolster the party’s campaign.
Ravipreet Sidhu on his part said he had committed a mistake by leaving the SAD and joining the BJP two and a half years back. “With the Prime Minister having apologized and withdrawn the farm laws I thought the central government would give justice to the farming community.
But my hopes were belied and now I realize that the SAD alone can fulfill the aspirations of Punjabis and have decided to serve the party unconditionally”.
Speaking on the occasion, Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal said “earlier during his stint in the SAD Jeet Mohinder drove ‘taksali’ Akali families out of the party and even did not let me give any grants in this constituency.
He even shifted to Chandigarh after his loss in 2022 and broke all communication with his constituents”. She also reminded the people how all development work had stopped in the constituency both during the five year tenure of the Congress and the present AAP tenure.
Mr Bikram Singh Majithia in a forceful speech highlighted how the AAP candidate from Bathinda – Gurmeet Singh Khuddian had done nothing for the constituency as agriculture minister.
“He could not even ensure compensation for farmers whose crops were flattened by hailstorms, forget implementing the party’s announcement of giving Rs 25,000 per acre compensation in advance for crop damage and procuring all crops on MSP”.
Mr Majithia also condemned BJP State unit President Sunil Jakhar for insulting farmers by giving a complaint against them to the Election Commission and asserting the latter were not letting BJP representatives enter villages.
“These farmers are only exercising their democratic right of protest. They are not attacking the BJP representatives with tear gas and rubber bullets as was done to them when they wanted to proceed to Delhi peacefully to voice their demands to the central government”, the SAD leader added.
He also highlighted how Mrs Harsimrat Badal had always raised the voice of the farming community and khet mazdoor and had stood up for them even during the inauguration ceremony of AIIMS by the Prime Minister during which she had made a fervent appeal to the central government to do justice with farmers.
Senior leader Mohan Singh Bangi was also present on the occasion. EOM Jangveer Singh
