The young Akali Dal seemed to emerge from the party’s grey shadow as did Sukhbir Singh Badal from his father’s at the Naujawan Chetna rally here today. Sukhbir, flanked by Central leaders of the Akali Dal and the BJP, took the stage as Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra made peace.Badal declared his everlasting ‘‘love’’ for Tohra in front of a lakh-strong crowd. The rally is being considered a coming of age for Sukhbir as a state leader, with the seal of Central leaders such as Omar Abdullah, Rajnath Singh, Shahnawaz Hussain and S.S. Dhindsa.Hussain hailed Sukhbir as ‘‘naujawanon ka neta’’ while Rajnath Singh called him ‘‘Punjab ka bhavishya’’. Badal also congratulated the Youth Akali Dal chief and his son, saying they had commanded the biggest ever gathering for an Akali rally. Tohra spoke in the same vein while suggesting the youth should not forget their religious duties.The Youth Akali Dal put out a ‘‘five-point’’ charter to their ‘‘future CM’’, Badal. It was a comeback of sorts for the youth wing. Young faces dotted the dais and the audience, waving bold posters. Lifesize cutouts of Sukhbir, Tohra, Badal and Youth Akali Dal chief Sharanjit Singh Dhilloni were all around the venue. The YAD insignia was ubiquitous with youth sporting kesri bands on their turbans and matching saffron T-shirts with ‘Youth Akali Dal Task Force’ emblazoned across.Sukhbir also announced the launch of a YAD website, and online registration of members.
