Bathinda: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday sidestepped calls from Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar for a renewed alliance between the two former political partners, saying elections were still distant and that “time will tell”. He also tore down the state’s land pooling plan as anti-farmer.Speaking at a party rally in Zira, Sukhbir refrained from addressing Jakhar’s statement directly, that a BJP-SAD alliance was crucial to preserving communal harmony in Punjab. “We welcome anyone who supports Punjab’s progress,” Badal said, without confirming or rejecting the proposal. Jakhar, a former Congress member, had reiterated on Sunday that an alliance between the BJP and SAD was “the need of the hour”, amid concerns about rising divisive forces. He had made similar appeals before the 2024 general elections.The rally also marked the induction of Harpreet Singh Hero, son of late Akali bigwig Harcharan Singh Hero, into the SAD. Harpreet was appointed party’s constituency in-charge for Zira. Sukhbir used the occasion to criticise both the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), blaming them for launching what he called a “malicious campaign” against the SAD in connection with the 2015 sacrilege cases. He pointed to recent remarks by Congress members Pargat Singh and Sukhjinder Randhawa, in which he said they had admitted that their party had politicised the issue without intent to deliver justice.“The truth is surfacing finally,” Sukhbir said. “The Congress only wanted to defame us, not punish those responsible for the sacrilege.” Turning his focus to the AAP govt, Sukhbir accused its leadership of prioritising profits over Punjab’s interests, alleging that deals were made with Delhi-based builders to acquire and redistribute 40,000 acres of fertile farmland. “These transactions are meant to fill party coffers at the expense of our farmers,” he claimed. Senior SAD member Janmeja Singh Sekhon also addressed the crowd, urging people to compare the development during SAD’s 2007–2017 tenure with the “administrative failures” of the Congress and AAP govts that had followed.
