CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday claimed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had entered into an understanding with Home Minister Amit Shah and was set to form a separate AAP (Punjab) unit post-election to part ways with Arvind Kejriwal, similar to what Eknath Shinde did in Maharashtra.
Addressing gatherings at Sunam and Dhuri, Badal said, “Mann has compromised with the BJP as he feels that he would also be arrested like his boss Kejriwal, as he has also perpetrated the same liquor scam as the AAP in Delhi. This understanding has saved him from imminent arrest.”
Asserting that no Delhi-based party could be trusted with their votes, Badal said, “Mann has opened channels with the BJP and Congress in order to hedge his bets both ways. While on one hand he has an informal understanding with the BJP, he has also aligned with Congress in Punjab and is putting up a friendly fight in most constituencies.”
He also cited how AAP was contesting against Congress in Punjab, but Mann was campaigning for Congress in Chandigarh and Haryana.
Urging people to seal the borders for all Delhi-based parties, Badal said, “The AAP government in Punjab and the Union government colluded to prevent our farmers from marching to Delhi. This led to the teargassing of our farmers and the firing of rubber bullets at them. Now it is your turn to seal the borders of Punjab with your votes.”
The SAD president also asked people to remember the dastardly attack on the Golden Temple in 1984 while casting their votes this year.
Badal also made a fervent case for trusting the home-grown party of Punjab, the SAD, saying that the party had always stood for safeguarding the interests of Punjab.
