Setback for SAD, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa family not to campaign for Sangrur candidate

Sushil Goyal

Sangrur, April 20

In light of sentiments of party workers and supporters from the Sangrur parliamentary constituency, the Dhindsa family will not campaign for Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat Iqbal Singh Jhundan. Party workers and supporters are annoyed with the SAD high command over denial of party ticket to Parminder Singh Dhindsa for the seat.

Supporters hold meet

• Hundreds of supporters of Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa participated in a meeting at his residence on Saturday
• They urged him and his son Parminder Singh Dhindsa to stay away from Iqbal Singh Jhundan’s campaign

Hundreds of party workers and supporters of the Dhindsa family today participated in a meeting at the residence of Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa here. They urged him and his son Parminder to stay away from Jhundan’s campaign.

Earlier, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa met his supporters and party workers in small groups and also got their opinion regarding support to the SAD candidate in Sangrur. According to Sukhdev, all workers and supporters spoke against backing the SAD candidate and some of them even expressed their anger against the party high command. However, they would not oppose the party in the elections, he said.

Parkash Chand Garg, a former SAD MLA from Sangrur and now core committee member of the party, also said denial of the party ticket to Parminder was wrong and the party would have to pay a heavy price for it in the Lok Sabha elections.

Parminder, who is a former Finance Minister, said they had taken the decision to merge SAD (Sanyukt) with SAD to strengthen the ‘Panth’, so he did not want to make any such statement that would weaken the ‘Panth’. He said the party workers were unhappy over the allotment of party tickets for the elections.

Sukhdev Dhindsa disclosed that the Congress and the BJP were ready to give ticket to Parminder, but they declined the offer, saying that they were loyal to SAD and would remain its loyal soldier. Besides, he also got “messages” that SAD was ready to change the nominee for the Sangrur seat, but they declined this offer, Sukhdev added.