Kolianwali’s release to boost Akalis’ morale

Lambi, February 17

Senior SAD leader Dyal Singh Kolianwali on Saturday got bail from a Mohali court in a disproportionate assets case registered by the state Vigilance Bureau (VB). He got a rousing welcome at his native village Kolianwali in Lambi here on Sunday.

The SAD workers present at his residence said the leader’s release would prove beneficial for the party in the upcoming elections. Notably, Kolianwali looks after 17 villages on behalf of the Badals in Lambi area. The Lambi Assembly constituency falls in Bathinda Parliamentary constituency, which is presently being represented by Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal. In the last Parliamentary elections, Lambi had given Harsimrat the highest lead of 34,219 votes.

However, from the past about seven months, after the registration of this case on July 1, 2018, Kolianwali was first on the run and then spent two months in the Nabha jail.

A close aide of former CM Parkash Singh Badal, Kolianwali has served as a member of the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSB) and chairman of the Punjab Agro Foodgrains Corporation in the SAD-BJP government in the state. Besides, he is a sitting SGPC member.

Notably, after the VB slapped this case on him, the SAD leadership gathered at his house for a few days in an attempt to build pressure on the visiting vigilance team to assess the value of his properties. Thereafter, Parkash Singh Badal too once visited Kolianwali’s mansion and addressed his supporters. — TNS