Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday hailed the victory of his party in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections as “a forceful referendum of the Khalsa Panth in favour of the panthic identity and religious commitment of his party.”
Addressing a Press conference, the SAD president said Sikhs totally rejected the Congress backed and BJP-sponsored groups including (Sukhdev Singh) Dhindsa and Sarna group.
“BJP via Mr Dhindsa and Mr Manjit Singh GK won two out of 46 seats while Congress via Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna won 14 out of 46.This is just the beginning of the storm which will sweep aside both the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab in the 2022 Assembly elections,” he said.
Badal announced that Sirsa would be nominated as a member of the DSGMC on behalf of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The SAD president said the Sikhs had given a resounding reply to those hatching conspiracies to divide and weaken the Khalsa Panth at the behest of the known enemies of the quom (community).
He said the Congress party deputed police officers from Punjab to help Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s religious advisor Paramjit Sarna. “Our booth managers were intimidated and even raids were conducted on them. A large number of votes polled in favour of the SAD were rejected resulting in the loss of nearly eight seats,” Badal alleged.
He said while the SAD (Delhi) received help from the Punjab government, the Jago party was supported by the BJP which even held meetings of its councilors and booth level leaders to help the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa–Manjit GK led front.
Speaking on the occasion, Sirsa thanked the sangat (Sikh community) for giving a ‘fatwa’ in favour of service done to humanity and ‘sikhi parchar’. He also thanked the people for teaching a lesson to opportunists who had reaped benefits from the SAD but betrayed it to form their own faction which was obliterated completely in the polls.