Sukhbir says Punjab CM should respect Governor

Chandigarh, Launching an attack on the BJP for trying to control gurdwaras, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today made it clear that it was against the imposition of President’s rule in Punjab but also wanted Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to honour the constitutional authorities of the country.

The party president announced this after the party’s core committee meeting held here.

In the backdrop of reports that the SAD-BJP alliance talks for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 have failed, Sukhbir Badal opened a front against the BJP that had followed the Congress agenda of wresting control of the gurdwaras in Haryana.

“The Akali Dal will not tolerate it,” he said.

Badal said SAD would contest the Haryana gurdwara management elections on its symbol and appealed to the Sikh ‘sangat’ to free the gurdwaras from the clutches of the modern day mahants who had taken over their control with the connivance of the Congress and the BJP.

On the constitutional crisis in Punjab, he said it had occurred in the state after the Chief Minister’s refusal to reply to letters of the Governor. “This is happening for the first time and is a result of immaturity and lack of decency on the part of the Chief Minister,” he said.

“Our party is behind the Anandpur Sahib resolution which stands for granting more powers to the states. However, the issue is not this alone. The issue is the Governor’s query about action taken in the case of 66 liquor vends which were found to be selling drugs during a raid by the National Narcotics Bureau. The CM should give a detailed answer to the Governor and Punjabis on this issue or else it would be surmised that the AAP government is hand in glove with drug traffickers,” Badal said.

Badal also demanded a fair compensation for the flood-hit farmers and labourers asserting the Rs 186 crore compensation released by the government was a cruel joke with them.