Central agencies started 'campaign' against SAD immediately after it quit NDA govt: Badal

Chandigarh, Apr 29 (PTI) 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.

The SAD president 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 was a sinister agenda to defame the SAD and weaken it," alleged Badal.

The SAD had parted ways with the BJP-led NDA in 2020 over the issue of now-repealed three farm laws.

The SAD is known for selfless service, said a party statement quoting Badal.

"Leaders like Parkash Singh Badal have been jailed for as long as 16 in far off places like Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore and Panchmari. Badal Sahab even did not avail bail to attend his daughter's wedding," Badal said, adding the situation has changed now.

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.

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.

He alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was already functioning as "a B team" of the BJP and was ready to become the saffron party's chief minister in Punjab in case the party formed the government at the Centre.

Appealing to voters to support the SAD, Badal assured the people that his party would continue to live by its principles come what may.

"We earlier left the BJP because the party was not doing justice with the farming community. Even now we chose not to align with the BJP because it was not doing justice to the Sikh 'Panth' and Punjab," said Badal. PTI