Sukhbir Singh Badal, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), on Friday noted the rise of Delhi-based parties in Punjab politics, saying it was like the dominance of the East India Company in ancient times. He highlighted the need for Punjab's population to rise to the cause of the Akali Dal to protect the state from both its onslaughts and the divisiveness this hegemony creates within the state's communal milieu and over its progress.
Badal, while addressing members of the District Bar Association and taxation lawyers, placed Punjab on the map of history. He said Punjabis must come together to stave off political parties based in Delhi, who were only concerned with winning elections and didn't care about Punjab or its people.
Drawing a context to the critical state Punjab was in, Badal lamented the deterioration of law and order, the continuous state of communal tension, and the economic downturn resulting from the successive Congress and Aam Aadmi Party regimes that had ruled Punjab. He said every section of society, from farmers and youth to the underprivileged and traders, were bearing the brunt of these calamities.
Calling on the population of Punjab to rise to the occasion to save their state, Badal cast the SAD as the only remedy against Punjab's ailments. He said only a regional party like the SAD could fight for Punjab and could focus on its interests while taking care of its citizens.
While giving an interview to the press, Badal was confident about the rising popularity of the SAD and the erosion of the influence of Delhi-centric parties and said that public opinion was moving towards regional representation, and Punjabis would reject the national parties in the polls.
