Akali Dal to hold statewide rallies in run-up to 2027 Punjab Assembly polls

Chandigarh, Jan 24 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday announced that it would hold a series of rallies from next month in all Assembly constituencies of Punjab to highlight the historic role played by the party in the development of the state, as well as its vision once it forms the government in 2027. 

The decision was taken at a meeting held here, presided over by party president Sukhbir Badal, and attended by district presidents and constituency in-charges.

Giving details of the meeting, senior party leader Daljit Singh Cheema told the media that Badal emphasised that successive SAD governments had carried out unprecedented development in the state, including making Punjab power-surplus, connecting major cities with four-lane roads, establishing new thermal plants and airports, and overhauling rural infrastructure.

Cheema said it was a fact that both the previous Congress government and the present Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had failed to create any new major infrastructure, due to which the state had suffered immensely.

“We are committed to restarting a new era of development and infrastructure creation to take Punjab forward,” he said.

Asserting that the Akali Dal would appeal to Punjabis to support their own regional party, Cheema said the party would also launch a people’s movement against what it termed the anti-Punjab policies and decisions of the AAP government.

“We also assure Punjabis that we will take the state out of the present lawlessness, ensure peace and communal harmony, and bring back investment into Punjab to create jobs for our youth,” he said.

The meeting also decided to complete the party’s entire organisational structure by February 10. It was resolved that booth-level committees would be constituted by then, along with the formation of all party wings, including the Youth Akali Dal and the Istri Akali Dal.

It was also decided that leaders who had played an important role in the recent block samiti and zila parishad elections would be given significant responsibilities in the organisational structure.

Cheema said the meeting took note of the manner in which panchayats were allegedly being coerced into paying pending bills of the tubewell corporation. He said panchayats were being directed to pay these bills from funds received from the Centre for village development.

“We support all panchayats who are resisting these illegal orders, as central funds earmarked for roads, sanitation, drinking water and street lighting cannot be used for paying water supply bills,” he said.

The meeting also took note of what Cheema described as fraud being played on Punjabis in the name of the Sehat Bima Yojana launched by the AAP government.

He alleged that the government was indulging in publicity gimmicks by making grand announcements despite lacking funds to implement the medical insurance scheme. According to Cheema, the scheme was being used as a ploy to collect data for the AAP ahead of the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections.

--IANS

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