Jalandhar: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Coordination Committee today decided to field a SAD candidate for the forthcoming Jalandhar parliamentary bypoll even as the BSP announced its full support for the same.
Announcing this at a press conference here, SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal said a decision in this regard had been taken in a joint SAD – BSP meeting after thorough discussions and that the same had been endorsed by BSP supremo Behan Mayawati. He announced that the formal campaign would start on April 10 and that the entire rank and file of the SAD-BSP alliance would take active part in it.
Asserting that the people of Doaba region were prepared to teach a befitting lesson to the corrupt and scam tainted Bhagwant Mann government which had failed on all fronts, Sukhbir Badal said the SAD – BSP alliance would give voice to the grievances of farmers, Dalits, youth, businessmen and government employees, all of whom were fed up from the AAP government.
Meanwhile the SAD President lambasted the chief minister for punishing government employees for his failure by preponing office hours to 7.30 am. He said this decision had been taken because the AAP government had failed to arrange power to meet the electricity demand during the summer months. “In effect the chief minister has announced that Punjabis should be ready for massive power cuts. Even paddy transplantation is threatened”, he added.
Badal said in stark contrast the erstwhile SAD government had not only made Punjab power surplus but had also ensured uninterrupted power supply to farmers, industry as well as the common man. “All this has been disturbed due to the incompetence of the chief minister who is more busy in ferrying his boss Arvind Kejriwal to Assam and other places instead of ensuring the welfare of Punjabis”.
Senior BSP leaders incident Avtar Singh Kareempuri and State a president Jasbir Singh Garhi were also present on the occasion.