The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday announced Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana, the sister of Balwant Singh Rajoana
who is convicted in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s assassination case, as the joint candidate of the SAD, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and panthic (Sikh religious) organisations for the Sangrur Parliamentary bypoll.
A decision to this effect was taken after SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal held thorough consultation on this issue with the BSP leadership as well as panthic organisations including the Sant Samaj and the Bandi Sikh Rihai Committee. The SAD President appealed to the ‘panth’ to wholeheartedly support Kamaldeep’s candidature.
Disclosing this, party spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said Kamaldeep would contest the by-poll on the SAD symbol. She will file her nomination on 6 June. Dr Cheema said there was a long-standing demand from panthic organisations that the joint panthic candidate for the Sangrur bypoll should be from the families of ‘Bandi Singhs’ (Sikh prisoners).
“The panth feels that this will focus attention on the plight of Sikh detenues who have been languishing in jails even after completion of their sentences. Sri Akal Takth Sahib Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh had also relayed a message to the community in this regard. The SAD has taken all these factors into consideration while deciding to field Biba Rajoana as the joint panthic candidate on the party symbol,” he added.
Dr Cheema said Kamaldeep is the sister of Balwant Singh Rajoana who was incarcerated in jail for 26 years, and was also a victim of police atrocity. “Her brother was killed in a false encounter and her sister died in police custody. Even her family’s house was demolished,” he added.