BJP-SAD alliance unbreakable: Jaitley
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday described as "unbreakable" the alliance in Punjab between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, a move aimed at assuaging the ruffled feelings of the Akali Dal leadership.
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday described as "unbreakable" the alliance in Punjab between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, a move aimed at assuaging the ruffled feelings of the Akali Dal leadership.
"The BJP will always support the SAD and the BJP-SAD coalition is unbreakable. There is no question of breaking the alliance," Jaitley said, according to a press statement of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
The union minister said this at Gurdwara Rakabganj in New Delhi where chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was also present. The SAD-BJP leaders had assembled at the gurdwara on the occasion of starting construction of the November 1984 Sikh genocide memorial.
What Jaitley said is set to lift the morale of the Akali Dal leadership, which has been displaying a palpable sense of unease after the stunning Haryana assembly election verdict.
The BJP has not taken kindly to the SAD's decision of contesting the Haryana assembly election in alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal. This has intensified the cold war between the SAD and BJP in Punjab, leading to reports that the alliance was on the verge of a collapse.