At Maghi mela, former Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal pitches for a second term for PM Modi

Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday exhorted the people of the state to vote for the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to make Narendra Modi prime minister for a second consecutive term.

He said this while addressing a rally at the annual Maghi Mela in Muktsar. The SAD had decided to hold a rally despite an appeal by chief minister Amarinder Singh not to politicise the “sacred occasion”.

“Modi as prime minister will benefit the people of the state,” the SAD patron said.

Calling Capt Amarinder Singh inaccessible, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “As CM, Badal saab always remained among the people of the state in contrast to Amaridner Singh who is inaccessible.”

In an indirect reference to rebellion in SAD, he said, “Those who left us have stabbed the party in the back.”

“Prime Minister Modi ensured the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots,” he said. He also credited the PM for the Kartarpur corridor.

On SAD (Taksali) president and Khadoor Sahib MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura’s charge that the Badals have captured SAD and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), he said the latter is a “democratically elected body”.

“Those who put the blame on us lose elections. Why don’t people give mandate to them? SAD is not a personal asset of anyone,” he said. Badal senior, however, stayed away from commenting on the recent revolt by Brahmpura and other taksali leaders.

Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Badal loyalists Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Sikandar Singh Maluka also spoke at the rally.

Former BJP minister Tikshan Sood lambasted the Congress while recounting what he called the “achievements of the previous SAD-BJP government”. He termed former Aam Aadmi Party leader Sukhpal Khaira, who recently floated the Punjabi Ekta Party, a turncoat.