Sukhbir targets Mann on power, throws public challenge

Bathinda: Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday sharpened his attack on chief minister Bhagwant Mann, challenging the AAP govt's claims on power generation and accusing it of taking credit for infrastructure created during previous SAD regimes.Addressing a rally in Muktsar, Sukhbir said Punjab's current power position was the result of investments made under earlier Akali governments and not the achievement of the present dispensation.The rally also saw a direct challenge to the chief minister, with Sukhbir daring Mann to hold a public meeting without official security cover."I challenge him to leave his security detail of 500 police personnel and come to the village of his choosing. I will also come alone. Then we will see who is felicitated and who is battered," he said.Sukhbir further alleged that recent legal and political pressure on the Shiromani Akali Dal was part of a wider attempt to weaken the party and target its leadership.He said, like his father and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, he would not compromise on Punjab's interests or the Sikh faith.BOX: No power theft at rally, says ex-MLAFormer Muktsar MLA Kanwarjit Singh Barkandi rejected allegations from the CM's office that power was stolen at the rally venue.He said the floodlights used during the event were part of a cricket academy operating at the grounds and denied that any illegal "kundi" connection had been used.