Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday urged all regional parties to unite under one platform to form the next government in the country.

Addressing a gathering organised by the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of Chaudhary Devi Lal, the SAD president said that regional parties could do the utmost for their regions.

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

Badal 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.

Alleging 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 Devi Lal, the SAD chief 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 the legendary leader along with SAD stalwart late 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 the villages. They treated you as part of their family. This is why they are respected across the country,” the SAD leader said.

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