Party tries to make it Sukhbir's event

Chandigarh: The laying of the foundation stone of the state's first private sector electricity generation project near Talwandi Sabo on Tuesday was more than just about power for the Shiromani Akali Dal.
It was also about a show of strength in Malwa region where the party is said to have lost ground.
The large gathering at the event would make the party feel better about that.
Though it was Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal who laid the foundation stone of 1980 MW thermal power project to be put up by Sterlite Energy Limited of Vedanta Group on buildown-operate basis, there were concerted efforts to project party president Sukhbir as the man of the event.
Punjab government appeared keen to focus on him and relegate all others to the background, though besides Badal, senior Aakli and BJP leaders were also present at the function.
This was evident from a press handout issued by CM's office here on Tuesday . It described the event as a "thermal revolution of a magnitude unprecedented in the history not only of the state but of the entire country."
It added that the "occasion also turned out to be an opportunity for Sukhbir to show-case his mercurial political charisma and organisational muscle" .
Making a laudatory reference to Sukhbir's skills, it went on to say that the "youthful president of one of the oldest parties in the country had challenged himself to roll out a spectacle far larger than the Congress rally of Monday in Badal's political backyard at Lambi."
And it predicted that Sukhbir's political stature is bound to go several notches higher after this display which came in spite of the aberration of the last assembly polls where SAD could not perform well in Malwa.
Malwa is considered a traditional Akali stronghold. Common perception is that Dera Sacha Sauda followers had damaged Akali prospects in the region by voting for the Congress during the last polls there.
The post-poll developments and clashes between Sikhs and Dera followers had further alienated SAD in the region .
The Akalis, desperate to capture lost territory, are pumping development projects into the region, especially in Mansa and Bathinda districts.
Apart from the one at Talwandi Sabo, a 2640 MW plant is proposed to be set up at Gidderbaha as well.
Sources in the SAD said the party was happy with Tuesday's rally.
Monday's Congress rally in Lambi, which is Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal's assembly constituency, shows that the party is concentrating on the region and Malwa would be the main battleground for the Lok Sabha polls.