Abstaining from mayoral poll a joint decision: SAD-BJP councillors

Akash Ghai

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 29

A day after boycotting the mayoral election, Akali-BJP councillors claimed in a joint statement that “what they did was to respect the feelings of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.” However, the statement refrained from categorically stating that they had indeed boycotted the elections.

It is to be noted that certain local Akali leaders and the BJP, including some elected councillors from the ruling alliance, had begun criticising their own leaders for their decision of not taking part in the mayoral poll.

“Nobody forced anybody. It (not taking part in the election) was a joint decision of the SAD and BJP councillors. This has been cleared by the joint statement, issued today by all of them”, said BS Ramoowalia, Mohali in charge of Akali Dal.

Yesterday, a local Akali leader, Amrik Singh Mohali, whose daughter-in-law Jaspreet Kaur is an elected Akali councillor, had demanded resignation of Ramoowalia from his post of the Mohali in charge of the party. Amrik Singh had held Ramoowalia responsible for failing in make a SAD councillor the first Mohali Mayor. A BJP councillor, Sahibee Anand, had also alleged yesterday that they were kept in the dark by the local Akali leadership. “We had no qualms in making Kulwant Singh the Mayor”, claimed Anand.

Ramoowalia claimed, “Badal had told all of us (leaders and coucnillors) during a meeting that if we (SAD-BJP) would fail to get an Akali Mayor elected then we would sit in the opposition we our heads held high. 

“In fact, Badal ‘saab’ had appreciated us because we had managed to win nearly 50 per cent of the seats in the MC elections, so I don’t want to comment on the statement of Amrik Singh Mohali or any other councillor. The joint statement of the councillors is enough to tell everything”, said Ramoowalia.