The original name of Shiromani Akali Dal’s Yatra should be ‘Save Akali Dal Yatra’: Hon

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has launched a sharp attack on Shiromani Akali Dal. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said about the Yatra being taken out by the Shiromani Akali Dal that the Akalis have looted Punjab during 15 years of misrule, so the real name of this Yatra should be ‘Akali Dal to Save Punjab Yatra’. The Chief Minister said that the Akali Dal, during its 15-year rule of darkness and lawlessness, looted the resources of the state and inflicted deep wounds on the hearts of Punjabis. He said that the oldest political party of the state has now reached the margins and after being in power for a long time in the state, it has reduced to three seats. Mr. Mann said that the people of Punjab are well aware of the dual character of the Akalis and the Badal family, due to which dramas like Yatra will no longer work. Mr. Mann reminded the Akalis that during his long misrule, Punjab has been lagging behind in every field. He said to the Akali Dal, ‘You can never be proven innocent of such heinous crimes as disrespecting Sri Guru Granth Sahib, harboring gangsters and drug mafia. The people of Punjab can never forget the time when the entire Punjab stood against the Black Agrarian Laws and at that time the Akali were brazenly singing the praises of the BJP-led central government for their narrow political interests. The list of anti-Punjab decisions of the Akali Dal and especially the Badal family is very long, so it is time to consign them to political oblivion. He has challenged the Akali Dal to tell the people a single achievement of its long tenure. He quipped, ‘Sukhbir Singh Badal and Harmisrat Kaur Badal of Shiromani Akali Dal are just two MPs in the Lok Sabha, but they have never raised their voice in the Lok Sabha for issues related to Punjab and Punjabis.’ Dal’s proposed trip is nothing more than misleading people and grabbing media headlines. The people of Punjab are well aware of the anti-Punjab and anti-people character of the Akalis, for which they can never be forgiven.