Bid to defame SAD, may boycott session: Sukhbir

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Longowal, August 20

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday alleged that both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had ganged up to defame the SAD by blaming it for sacrilege incidents. He said the SAD would soon take a call in its core committee meeting whether to attend the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha session or not.

“We have already rejected the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission and its report. It was set up to tarnish our image. But the people have realised that the Congress and AAP have ganged up against us,” said Sukhbir, after paying tributes to Sant Harchand Singh Longowal at Longowal town in the district.

On Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s visit to Pakistan and hugging its army chief, Sukhbir said: “Pakistan General Qamar Javed Bajwa is responsible for the killing of our soldiers and Sidhu should be ashamed of his gesture. He has behaved in an irresponsible manner.”

He said after Haryana, the SAD was preparing to enter electoral politics in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. He alleged that the Gandhi family had betrayed Sant Harchand Singh and the accord he had signed resulted in his martyrdom.

On AAP, he said it was strange that disgruntled leader Bholath MLASukhpal Singh Khaira was now finding faults with party convener Arvind Kejriwal, while as Leader of Opposition Khaira had been praising him.

Senior Akali leaders Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Tota Singh, Iqbal Singh Jhunda and SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal were also present.

Though Cabinet Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot along with other leaders also paid homage to Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, the state government cancelled its state-level function due to the death of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.