Bhagwant Mann has surrendered his powers to Delhi CM: Sukhbir Badal

PTI, Apr 15, 2022, 8:54 AM IST

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday accused Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of surrendering his powers to his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who, he said, has also begun ordering transfers of the state’s district police chiefs and deputy commissioners. Badal also accused Mann of visiting Takht Damdama Sahib under the influence of liquor, an allegation denied by the Aam Aadmi Party as “false” and “baseless”.

Accusing Mann of surrendering his powers as the chief minister to the AAP national convenor, Badal said Kejriwal was not only holding meetings with Punjab officials in Mann’s absence but also ordering postings of senior superintendents of police and deputy commissioners in the state.

Addressing a gathering at Takht Damdama Sahib on the occasion of Baisakhi, the Shiromani Akali Dal president further alleged that Kejriwal has not only taken control of the Punjab administration but was also using its resources like the state helicopter for electioneering in Himachal Pradesh.

“Ninety commandos of the Punjab police have even been deputed with the Delhi chief minister,” Badal claimed in an official statement of his party.

Accusing Mann of visiting Takht Damdama Sahib while drunk on Thursday, the SAD chief said it is not the first time that he has conducted himself in such a manner.

“He had visited this holy place while drunk even earlier,” he said.

Stating that he did not want to speak for some time and wanted to give a free rein to the new government to fulfil its promises to the people, Badal said the chief minister’s actions, however, have become intolerable.

Badal’s allegation, however, was strongly refuted by AAP senior leader and spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang, who dubbed the SAD chief’s allegation against the Punjab CM as ”baseless and false”.

He said it was unfortunate that the SAD president was indulging in false propaganda against the CM.

“We strongly condemn the statement of the Akali Dal chief,” Kang said.

He added that rather than making baseless allegations, Sukhbir Singh Badal should play constructive politics.

Continuing his tirade against AAP, the SAD chief further said the AAP government should protect the interests of the state.

He also accused the five AAP Rajya Sabha members from Punjab of not raising their voices against the Centre in Parliament for “trying to dilute Punjab’s claim on Chandigarh or for the release of Sikh prisoners who had completed their jail terms”.

“It was left to former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal to raise these issues forcefully in Parliament,” he said. Badal also asked the AAP government to immediately announce a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal for farmers who, he said, were facing huge losses due to low wheat yield.

He also said “anti-panthic” forces were trying to weaken the SAD by defaming it.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami too spoke on the occasion and said Sikhs have remained steadfast to their faith against all odds.

He said there are, however, some black sheep in the community who are conspiring against the ‘panth’ and its institutions.

He urged the community members to pray for the well being of the ‘panth’, saying all “anti-panthic” forces would be defeated in due time.

Addressing the gathering, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the AAP government, besides compensating farmers for low yields, should reduce the value-added tax on diesel and make arrangements for an adequate supply of power.

Party leader Sikandar Singh Maluka read out a resolution demanding from the Centre to release all Sikh prisoners who had completed their jail terms including Balwant Singh Rajoana, Davinderpal Singh Bhullar and Jagtar Singh Hawara.

While Rajoana and Hawara were convicted in the 1995 assassination case of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, Bhullar was convicted in the 1993 Delhi bomb blast case.