Sinister agenda to defame, weaken Akali Dal, says Badal
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday alleged that the central agencies started a campaign against his party immediately after it quit the BJP-led NDA government. Mr. Badal was addressing a huge gathering in Sardulgarh in Mansa in favour of his party’s Bathinda candidate and his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
“Those who had attacked the SAD virulently for the acts of sacrilege eight years back, including self-styled panthic leader Baljit Singh Daduwal, had now joined the BJP. This proves there is a sinister agenda to defame the SAD and weaken it,” alleged Mr. Badal.
The SAD had parted ways with the BJP-led NDA in 2020 over the issue of now-repealed three farm laws.
The SAD leader accused the BJP of taking over Sikh religious bodies. The BJP government in Maharashtra had “tinkered with” the Sri Hazoor Sahib gurdwara managing board and nominated 12 members to the board to take it in its control, he claimed.
Mr. Badal further claimed that members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee had been co-opted into the BJP even as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee had been “broken”
to create a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana.
He said the Sikh bodies under the “control” of the BJP like the Delhi committee led by Manjinder Singh Sirsa were now even “denying” langar to those who were holding ‘dharnas’ against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The SAD president also asserted that the Central government had virtually taken over the AAP government in Punjab.