Electing SAD candidate from Jalandhar will be true homage to Parkash Singh Badal, says Sukhbir

PTI

Phillaur, May 7

A victory for Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi in the Lok Sabha bypoll in Jalandhar will be a true homage to Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Sunday.

A five-time former chief minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal died on April 25. He had not been keeping well and was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali on April 16.

Sukhbir Singh Badal was addressing a public meeting for party candidate Sukhi, who has received backing from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), in Goraya. This was the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief’s first public address for the bypoll since his father’s death.

“I want to request the (SAD and BSP) workers that, by ensuring victory (for Sukhi) in this battle (bypoll), it will be a true tribute to our leader Sardar Parkash Singh Badal,” he said.

The SAD workers will then ensure victory for the BSP candidate from the Banga seat, he further said.

Sukhi, who is currently the MLA from the Banga assembly constituency, will have to vacate his seat if he is elected to the Lok Sabha.

The Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, scheduled to take place on May 10, was necessitated by the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary in January.

The SAD chief further said, “Badal sahab was worried about the manner in which divisive politics was spoiling the atmosphere in the state in his last days. He felt an attempt was being made to defame the Punjabis by terming them as separatists and imposing the National Security Act on them.

“I have vowed to take Punjab ahead in the same manner as Badal sahab. The entire party is also committed to this task. We will follow the pro-farmer and pro-poor policies of Badal sahab while standing firm on the principles of peace and communal harmony.” Sukhbir Singh Badal added that he had been approached by “many people during the past 10 days to recount how Badal sahab touched their lives”.

“I feel that if I can do even 10 per cent of what the former chief minister did during his 70 years of public life, it will be a success,” he added.

The SAD chief went on to recount how Parkash Singh Badal was the architect of modern-day Punjab and had brought development — be it by setting up the mandi system that led to the procurement of foodgrain, creating focal points, establishing thermal plants and four-lane expressways and airports.

“Badal sahab also made Punjab power surplus during his tenure. If we are facing power problems now, it is because both this (Bhagwant Mann-led AAP) government, as well as the previous Congress regime, failed the Punjabis by failing to generate additional power,” Sukhbir Singh Badal added.

Speaking about the party candidate, he noted, “Dr Sukhi is a renowned physician, besides being a prominent social activist. He has a proven track record of taking up people’s issues in the Vidhan Sabha.” “In direct contrast, both the AAP and the BJP candidates are turncoats while the Congress candidate’s family has done nothing for this constituency despite representing it for nine years,” he alleged.

The Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency is considered to be a stronghold for the Congress, which has been undefeated in the seat since 1999.

The BJP has fielded Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, a Dalit Sikh, who quit the SAD to join the saffron party. The BJP for the first time is contesting an election to the Lok Sabha on its own in Punjab after the SAD broke ties with it in 2020.

The Congress has fielded Karamjit Kaur, the wife of Chaudhary, while the AAP’s nominee is former MLA Sushil Rinku, who switched over from the Congress.