CM bent on dividing Sikhs in pious occasion of 550th Parkash Purb: Sukhbir Badal

Mullanpur Dakha, October 14, 2019: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today said chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh was bent upon dividing the Sikh community on the pious occasion of 550th Parkash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji in keeping with the divide and rule policy of the Congress party. Addressing large gatherings at a dozen villages in this constituency in favour of SAD candidate Manpreet Singh Ayali, the SAD President said the Sikh community would not let the nefarious designs of the Congress to divide the community by holding a separate function against the advisory of Sri Akal Takth succeed. He said the “Panth” would repose faith in the SGPC and the programmes being organised by the democratically elected religious body. Taking the chief minister head on, Mr Badal asked whether Capt Amarinder had organised a religious function or even ‘kirtan darbar’ during the last two and a half years? He said the CM had not deemed it fit to pay obeisance at Sri Darbar Sahab after taking over as chief minister. He said even now nothing was being done to improve the infrastructure in the holy city of Sultanpur Lodhi. He also recounted how the Congress party had thwarted all efforts for a joint celebration and even disregarded the “adesh” of the Sri Akal Takth Jathedar in this regard. “The SGPC even formed a Coordination Committee for this purpose and made numerous pleas to the CM all of which fell on deaf ears”, he added. Asking the chief minister to concentrate on governance instead of interfering in religious matters, Mr Badal said Punjab was witnessing home delivery of drugs under Congress rule. He said this had happened because Congress ministers and legislators were providing shelter to the drug mafia. He also highlighted how each and every section of society was discriminated against during Congress rule with farmer loans not being waived, youth not being given the promised jobs and social welfare schemes being discontinued. Speaking about Dakha assembly constituency, Mr Badal said Congress Mp Ravneet Bittu had been twice elected from the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency but had done nothing for the area. He said similarly former AAP legislator H S Phoolka had also betrayed the trust of the people by running away from the constituency. He said Congress candidate Sandeep Sandhu was an outsider who did not know the names of ten villages of the constituency. “In direct contrast SAD candidate Manpreet Ayali is known by his work. He has created gyms, parks and stadiums besides cleaning up village ponds using innovative scientific methods”. Others present on the occasion included former ministers Hira Singh Gabria, Maheshinder Singh Grewal,Sharanjit Singh Dhillon & Virsa Singh valtoha.