Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday slammed Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and said he did not consider the latter a Sikh. He also accused Mann of exploiting Punjab and added that Arvind Kejriwal is running the state government.
"I do not consider him a Sikh. He wears a turban to show that he is a Sikh. He does not know the history of Sikhs. We feel sad when we see him and hear his statements. They (AAP) are looting Punjab and Arvind Kejriwal is the CM of Punjab today, not Bhagwant Mann,” Badal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
In the 2022 Assembly elections, the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government won 92 seats, securing a landslide victory. While the Congress secured second position with 18 seats. The Akali Dal managed to win only 18 seats.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a part of the INDIA bloc, however, both Congress and AAP indicated that they will contest the 2024 elections alone in Punjab.
While SAD Delhi unit president Paramjit S Sarna stated his party can form an alliance with the BJP. "We have no hesitation for an alliance with BJP (for 2024 Lok Sabha elections), but SAD is the bigger partner in Punjab. If they (BJP) agree to the clauses that were put forward by late Parkash Singh Badal earlier, we are ready to join hands with them. Meanwhile, we have decided to form a unit of Akali Dal in Mumbai. We also have in the pipeline the formation of Akali Dal Bihar and Jharkhand," he said.
Earlier, Sukhbir Badal apologised to the Sikh community with folded hands for the failure to arrest the culprits involved in the 2015 sacrilege cases when his party was in power in Punjab in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Submitting myself to the Guru's will in the precinct of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest religio-temporal seat of the Sikh quorum, I sincerely and unconditionally seek forgiveness of the Khalsa Panth that heinous act of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji happened during Akali govt,” he said earlier.
Badal also appealed to the party members to return for a united ‘Khalsa Panth’. Following his appeal, two senior former leaders including Des Raj Dhugga and Jasvir Singh Ghuman joined the party along with their supporters.