Regional parties need to unite for good of country, says Sukhbir Badal at INLD rally in Haryana

Chandigarh, Sep 25 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Monday said regional parties alone could usher in peace and progress in India and urged them to unite under one platform to form the next government in the country.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President, who was addressing a gathering organised by the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal in Haryana’s Kaithal, said regional parties could do the utmost for their regions.

“We have witnessed speedy progress in all states where regional parties play a dominant role in politics like in the case of SAD, the INLD and the National Conference,” he said.

He also urged people not to believe in new-found parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which he said had destroyed Punjab and thrown the state into a debt trap.

Asserting that a move was afoot to weaken regional parties, Badal said, “Today some parties are trying to create communal tensions to polarise votes. See what happened in Manipur and Nuh. India cannot progress like this. There is a need to make all minorities feel safe in this country.”

Speaking about the legacy of Chaudhary Devi Lal, he said the iconic farmer leader was responsible for introducing a debt waiver scheme for farmers of Haryana, besides introducing the old-age pension scheme in the state.

He said legendary leaders like Chaudhary Devi Lal, Parkash Singh Badal and Chaudhary Charan Singh, were responsible for ameliorating the lot of farmers and the downtrodden in the country.

 “These leaders lived in villages. They treated you as a part of their family. This is why they are respected across the country.”

Badal also congratulated his father figure Om Prakash Chautala of the INLD and Abhay Singh Chautala for organising such a befitting Samman Diwas programme to commemorate the memory of Lok Nayak Devi Lal.