Akali Dal keeps door open for rebels, says those who will work to strengthen party are welcome

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Saturday said the party has kept the door open for those rebels who left in the recent past and they are welcome if they come with a “clear heart” and work to strengthen SAD.

He was addressing journalists on the sidelines of a party function in connection with the election campaign of the SAD candidate from Ludhiana West assembly constituency where byelections are due.

Badal said rebel Akalis would be taken back into the SAD fold provided they “come back with a clear heart and work to strengthen the party and follow its principles and philosophy”.

The Ludhiana West seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. The date for the byelection has not been announced yet.

While AAP named Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora, the Congress has fielded former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu for the bypoll.

Earlier, Badal appealed to the electorate of Ludhiana West to support the SAD to “end gangster culture and drug menace”.

Addressing the media at the residence of SAD candidate Parupkar Singh Ghumman, he said, “The people of the state have experimented with both the Congress and AAP. Punjab has witnessed a steep decline in all parameters and now the situation has become such that even the common man is not safe.”

Asserting that SAD alone could safeguard the rights of Punjabis, Badal said, “We are the true heirs of the state unlike the fly by night operators in other parties. If Punjab goes down, the loss is ours. I appeal to you to strengthen the party in the forthcoming byelection to lay the foundation for the next SAD government in 2027.”