Chandigarh, Feb 12 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday announced to start a mass contact programme from February 17 in Qadian town in Gurdaspur district to launch the first phase of an election campaign comprising 40 rallies in nearly one month for the Assembly polls slated early next year.
A decision to this effect was taken by party President Sukhbir Singh Badal after consultation with the senior party leadership.
Speaking on the issue, Badal said, “We will take up all the burning issues of Punjab and offer our vision for the state. I’m confident Punjabis will rally around SAD which alone is capable of fulfilling their aspirations.”
Senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema said this would include holding 40 rallies, named ‘Punjab Bachao — Sukhbir Singh Badal Liyao’, across the state and would culminate on Baisakhi on April 13.
He said 28 rallies would be held till March 31, whose schedule had also been finalised.
“The remaining 12 rallies will be held in April,” he added.
Cheema said the party has always practiced ethical politics.
“We have always stood by what we have promised in the past. This time also we will offer our vision for the state which will cover every section of society, besides focusing on maintaining peace and communal harmony,” Cheema said.
The Akali Dal leader said the party would spell out its stand on vital issues and display its commitment to ensure they were resolved.
“These include transferring Punjab’s capital Chandigarh to the state and an end to the discrimination done to Punjab as far as its river waters are concerned,” he said.
“The erosion of federalism has harmed Punjab financially also as it involves devolution of Central funds and the freedom of the states to spend them as per their priorities,” Cheema said.
Cheema said the crisis in agriculture and the grave issues faced by farmers, including indebtedness and suicides as well as the suffering caused to them by not getting compensation for losses suffered by the 2025 floods, would be taken up in the rallies.
He said the issue of making the minimum support price (MSP) a legal guarantee, reduction of fertiliser subsidies and the need to protect farmer interests in the trade deal with the US would be taken up during the mass contact programme.
“The need for specialised programmes to ensure the welfare of the Scheduled Caste, increasing employment opportunities for the youth and exposing the corruption, failure to maintain law and order and shelter being provided to the drug mafia by the Aam Aadmi Party government would also be taken up forcefully,” he added.’
–IANS
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