Badal should quit on moral grounds: Lalpura

Asserting that he was still a member of SAD, Lalpura said that all democratic values had been thrown to the winds by Badal in a bid to promote dynastic rule.

“The Akali leadership has come into the hands of people who lack tolerance and a sense of differentiating between dissent and revolt,” said the veteran leader. He alleged that conspiracies were being hatched to throw out leaders who did not agree with the whims and fancies of the present leadership.

Lalpura said that he had been in politics since 1949 and had participated in all morchas started by SAD. He charged that Badal had never allowed dedicated partymen to come to the forefront. He said that Badal had publicly promised a ministerial berth in the Centre to him but he decided to sell the interests of the panth for a Cabinet berth for his son Sukhbir.

Lalpura said that Badal was the first party president whose popularity graph had been falling so fast. He said that Badal should not forget that his son was defeated in five Assembly segments under Faridkot Lok Sabha seat, including his home constituencies of Gidderbaha and Lambi.

Lalpura said defeat of Sukhbir Badal from Lambi was a moral defeat of Badal and he should seek fresh mandate for himself. He said that in sharp contrast, he had won the Tarn Taran seat with 1.42 lakh votes. How could he bear to sit behind Sukhbir Badal in the Parliament, he said.

Lalpura blamed Badal for promoting rootless leaders like Dhindsa and Bhunder to play the Malwa card in Akali politics. He said both of them were defeated in Assembly elections and Badal blessed them with chairmanship in Cabinet rank.

Lalpura said that in the Rajya Sabha elections, Badal had ignored senior party leaders like Surjan Singh Thekedar and six out of seven seats were handed over to the persons rejected by people, the power brokers and those eugolising Badal.

Lalpura alleged that Badal was biased against Majha and Doaba regions. He said that Congress had lost in all the 27 Assembly seats of Majha area and the SAD had won 53 seats from Majha and Doaba. SAD was defeated on 20 seats and won 20 of the 63 seats with a narrow margin in the Malwa region.

Lalpura said that Badal had a long track record of revolting against party leadership. He said in 1972, the 25-member Akali Legislature Party had elected Jaswinder Singh Brar its president. Badal couldnot tolerate his political rival coming to the forefront and raised revolt against party president Sant Fateh Singh.

Badal also revolted against the leadership of Jagdev Singh Talwandi, Mohan Singh Tur, Sant Harchand Singh Logowal and Surjit Singh Barnala, he added.Lalpura blamed Badal for back-tracking on poll promises. He said that Badal had promised to set up a commission to probe police atrocities and cremation of 25,000 dead persons. He also dropped issues like river waters dispute, transfer of Punjabi-speaking areas and transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab.

Lalpura said the Central government was considering to appoint former DGP K.P.S.Gill incharge of the country’s internal security and Badal was party to this decision.

Lalpura said that he would mobilise partymen against th policies of Badal and his efforts to bring `Rabri Devi’ culture of Bihar to Punjab. He said that Badal was using people’s faith in Akali Dal for building his family rule.

He said that he was not floating any new party as he would continue to work for strengthening democratic values in SAD. Lalpura strongly condemned registration of alleged false case against Paramjit Kaur, wife of missing human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and leaders of human rights wing of SAD.