In Kalanwali, a tit-for-tat: SAD fields BJP leader after saffron party named Akali MLA from seat

Welcoming him into the party, Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said Desujodha has expressed solidarity with the party and its ideals and has pledged to work for peace and communal harmony besides resolving grievances of the people of the constituency.

Expressing confidence that the SAD would win the Kalanwali seat, the SAD president said that the people of the constituency had expressed confidence in the SAD in the 2009 and 2014 assembly elections and would continue to support the party. He said Desujodha would file his nomination papers on October 3.

Meanwhile, Desujodha said that the BJP betrayed its ally SAD by co-opting its legislator into the party. “The BJP also betrayed me after promising to re-nominate me as the candidate from the seat. I will now give an appropriate response to the BJP for these twin betrayals and ensure a win by 25,000 votes for the SAD,” he added.

On September 26, when Blakaur Singh joined the BJP, Sukhbir had termed the move “unethical and unfortunate”. “There is a ‘maryada’ (dignity) of relationship (alliance). What the BJP has done is unethical,” Sukhbir had said.

The SAD had also accused the BJP of backtracking from its commitment of contesting the Haryana assembly jointly.

Later, BJP national secretary Tarun Chugh had hit back saying the Akalis should not preach on ethics. “Today, they (SAD) are teaching a lesson on what is ethical and unethical. They should first say whether contesting the 2014 Haryana assembly polls in alliance with INLD ethical,” Chugh said.

He had further dismissed the accusations of the Akali Dal, saying that the BJP had not done anything “unethical” by inducting Balkaur Singh. “MLA (Balkaur) had fought on a joint ticket of the Akali Dal and the INLD against the BJP nominee. We did not do anything unethical by bringing him into party fold,” the senior BJP leader said.

Answering a question, Sukhbir said the party’s Haryana unit was in talks with other political parties for an alliance. “We are confident of arriving at an understanding in a day or two,” he added.

The SAD has an alliance with the BJP in Punjab and Delhi. It had contested the last assembly elections in the state in alliance with the INLD. The alliance had come to an end in 2017 on the SYL issue.