Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has propped up Akali Dal Waris Punjab De to split Panthic vote and weaken the Akali leadership ahead of the forthcoming assembly polls.
Addressing a Punjab Bachao rally at Dharamkot in Moga, Sukhbir said there is a striking similarity between the emergence of the AAP and Waris Punjab De, which toes hardline politics.
He said the jailed MP from Khadoor Sahib Amritpal Singh, who is chief of the Waris Punjab De, is fanning hardline sentiment by leaning towards Khalistan demands, but it is aimed at moving Punjabi voters away from the SAD. He appealed to Punjabis to unite and save Punjab from divisive political designs.
“Initially, Amritpal portrayed himself as someone working for a social cause to eradicate drugs, but this was exposed when his own brother was found to be a drug addict. He had also tried to incite people by raising the slogans of Khalistan but ran away when the state police started an operation for his arrest. This conduct is contrary to a panthic leader”, he said, describing how former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had always courted arrest while fighting for public causes and had even been jailed for 16 years.
Sukhbir said that a defeated Akali legislator from Dakha, Manpreet Singh Ayali, worked in collusion with the chief minister Bhagwant Mann and joined Waris Punjab De as part of a political conspiracy.
“Ayali has joined Waris Punjab De even though he has no Panthic credentials,” alleged Sukhbir.
