Sukhbir appeals to Panthic voters: ‘I may have done something wrong, but don’t punish SAD, SGPC’
Sukhbir Singh Badal was addressing a gathering from the historic Manji Sahib Diwan Hall in the Golden Temple complex on the occasion of 101st foundation day of the SGPC
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Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal. (File)With few months left for the Punjab Assembly elections, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal Monday made an emotional appeal to the Sikh community urging them that SGPC and SAD shouldn’t be punished for any wrongs perceived to have been committed by him.
“I may have some limitation. I may have done something wrong. I may have committed some sin. But there should be no punishment given to SAD and SGPC for this,” said Sukhbir. The statement comes at a time when SAD is struggling to get back its core Panthik votebank.
Addressing a gathering from the historic Manji Sahib Diwan Hall in the Golden Temple complex on the occasion of 101st foundation day of the SGPC, Sukhbir said, “If SGPC and SAD are weak, then to who will approach with your problems. Will you go to Sonia Gandhi? Will you go to Arvind Kejriwal? Will you go to Amit Shah and Narendra Modi to solve your problem? Will they do something for you?”
He added, “I am pained at the fake propaganda by the Congress being spread for last many years. We had sought an apology with the folded hands that sacrilege was committed during our party’s government. We made attempts to solve the case….We had to hand over the probe to the CBI. But we didn’t politicise the issue.”
Sacrilege is one issue that has been largely blamed for SAD’s Panthic vote taking a hit, with Sukhbir in particular facing a lot of criticism.
“There may be enmity with me or someone else. But there should be no entity with Panth, and SAD is party of the community. So we all should be united. We should make efforts to bring the new generation towards the Sikh ideology and principles. We should fight social evils. Sikh religion should set an example for all religion about how to fight the evils,” said Sukhbir.
Asking people to work to strengthen SAD and SGPC, he said: “We all should take an oath that no harm should be caused to SAD and SGPC….Criticise me, correct me, attack me whenever you think I am wrong. But do not join Panth’s enemies to weaken our treasured institutions. These are yours and are elected by you.”
Sukhbir argued that “all parties except SAD are outsiders in Punjab”.
“Do you want to give power to outsiders? No one from outside can harm us. There is danger from people within,” he said.
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