Do or die battle: SAD puts full might into election campaigning in Punjab

BATHINDA: With less than a week for the ending of the election campaigning, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has put its full might into the electioneering. The

party

leaders feel if the party failed to regain power this time, it may be hard for it to regain the lost field.

In this do or die battle, sources said the entire family of former chief minister Parkash Singh

Badal

is out in the field despite many odds. Badal senior was in Lambi assembly segment, meeting people on Saturday. Party president Sukhbir Singh Badal went around in his assembly segment of Jalalabad while former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal held election meetings in Bhucho assembly segment and met farmers during her campaigning.

Badal senior while canvassing in Lambi asked the voters not to be swayed by the narratives being set by various parties stating that only SAD is close to people.

Sukhbir said SAD-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance was all set to sweep assembly polls and people had already made up their mind to hand over the reins of the state to the alliance that would put the state back on the track of development and restart social welfare initiatives. He said the people would punish the Congress for non fulfilment of promises made to the people, including failure to waive off farmer loans and provide jobs to youth.

He said the Congress had cheated people with tall promises and even by taking a false oath on the holy Gutka Sahib. He said even after changing the chief minister (CM), the Congress government had failed to deliver on its promises. He said instead of giving relief to people, CM Charanjit Singh Channi patronised the sand mafia and looted officers with promises of plum postings and transfers. The 111 days tenure of Channi will be remembered as most corrupt era in the history of the state.

“Punjabis cannot afford to waste five years by giving one chance to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as being demanded by it and would repose faith in the tried and tested pro-development policies of the SAD-BSP,” said Sukhbir. Harsimrat while campaigning in Bhucho assembly segment said Congress and AAP had joined hands to defame Akali Dal in 2017 elections and now that stand gets exposed. She said a malicious campaign was launched by both to kindle hatred among people. Both succeeded in misguiding people and as a result of it Congress got power in state and AAP become main opposition party.

During the last five years, AAP failed to perform role of opposition and even Arvind Kejriwal never visited during last five years to object why Congress was not fulfilling its promises. She said Channi despite being a minister never stood up for the Scheduled Castes.