Akali Dal to correct Punjab’s ‘historical injustices’: Sukhbir Badal slams ‘Delhi parties’
He accused them of denying the state its own capital, excluding Punjabi-speaking areas during reorganisation, and diverting a significant share of its river waters
Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Monday that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is committed to correcting the “historical injustices” inflicted on Punjab by what he termed the “parties of Delhi”. He accused them of denying the state its own capital, excluding Punjabi-speaking areas during reorganisation, and diverting a significant share of its river waters.
Addressing a large rally in Faridkot as part of the party’s ‘Punjab Bachao’ campaign, Badal claimed that Punjab remains the only state in the country without its own capital. He alleged that the Congress had favoured Haryana during the reorganisation of the state and excluded several Punjabi-speaking areas despite the linguistic basis of the exercise.
He further alleged that nearly half of Punjab’s river waters were “arbitrarily” allocated to Rajasthan, violating the riparian principle. “States through which rivers flow have the sole right over their waters, yet Punjab was deprived of its rightful share,” he said.
Badal also criticised attempts to complete Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (SYL), alleging that the project would divert Punjab’s remaining water to Haryana. “Had the canal been completed earlier, Punjab would have turned into a desert. It is because of SAD’s firm stand that this water has not flowed out of the state,” he claimed.
Launching a broader attack on national parties, Badal alleged that “Delhi-based parties come to rule and loot”, while SAD had always worked to safeguard the interests of Punjabis. Recalling the tenure of his father, former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, he credited the SAD government with bringing prosperity to the Malwa region by tackling waterlogging and strengthening agricultural infrastructure.
He also highlighted the establishment of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, which he said had improved healthcare services in the region. Targeting the ruling AAP government, Badal accused it of misleading voters in the 2022 Assembly election and pushing the state into financial distress.
He claimed the government had taken loans worth Rs 2 lakh crore in four years, while earlier governments had accumulated Rs 2.5 lakh crore in debt over 56 years. Outlining the party’s future agenda, Badal said an SAD government would prevent further diversion of Punjab’s water, ensure strict action against industrial effluents polluting the Sutlej and Beas rivers, and revive welfare schemes such as the Atta-Dal programme.
He also promised interest-free loans of Rs 10 lakh for youth, increased pensions for the elderly, and improved power supply to farmers.
