Self-styled Taksalis are ‘jaali’ Akalis: Sukhbir

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday termed the rebel SAD leaders “jaali Akalis” (fake Akalis) and said the self-styled Taksalis have backstabbed the party under a Congress conspiracy to weaken it.

Speaking during a dharna organised by the SAD-BJP outside the Faridkot senior superintendent of police (SSP) office against the alleged misrule of the Congress government in the state, Sukhbir said suspended Akali leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa enjoyed a name in politics due to the SAD. “The party helped Dhindsa rise in politics, but when it was his turn to nurture the new talent and give back to the party, he decided to backstab it. The Sangrur rally on February 2 will serve as eye-opener for him,” Sukhbir said.

“Despite being nominated to the Rajya Sabha repeatedly even after losing elections, Dhindsa was not satisfied and even fought with Parkash Singh Badal to get his son Parminder appointed as the finance minister in the SAD-BJP government. Dhindsa even forced Badal Saab to secure a ticket for his son-in-law Tejinder Pal from Mohali even though he was a losing candidate,” the SAD chief said.

He said Sewa Singh Sekhwan is another “fake” Akali, who had lost all elections for 30 years except a byelection when the entire party campaigned for him. He said these Taksalis are nothing but pawns of the Congress. “Chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh is behind this conspiracy,” he added.

The SAD chief announced that the party will hold district-level protests across the state if the Amarinder government failed to take action against revenue minister Gurpreet Kangar and CM’s political adviser Kushaldeep Dhillon on the basis of the statement of kin of Surjit Singh, key witness in the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing case, alleging that they were pressuring him.

He said the Congress government has put additional financial burden of ₹22,000 crore on the common man in the past three years by hiking power tariff. “While private thermal plants are supplying power to the government at less than ₹2.98 per unit, they are charging domestic consumers at the rate of ₹9.5 per unit and commercial at ₹10.5 per unit. The government also indulged in underhand deals with private thermal plants and gave them a benefit of ₹4,100 crore. This includes ₹2,700 crore on account of coal washing charges and ₹1,400 crore for arbitration award which the government did not challenge,” he alleged.