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Every party has a right to make decision on alliances: Sukhbir
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said every party has the right to take its own decision on alliances while reacting to BJP’s recent announcements to go solo in upcoming Punjab elections
Reacting to the BJP’s announcement to go solo in the 2027 Punjab elections, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday said every party has the right to take its own decision on alliances.
He said SAD too had contested the 2024 parliamentary elections alone. “For us, the interests of Punjab and Punjabis are supreme, sovereign and above everything else,” he said. Sukhbir said would fight for the rights of Punjab and Punjabis and had complete faith that his party would secure a landslide victory in the 2027 election.
Sukhbir’s remarks came hours after Union home minister Amit Shah’s announcement that the BJP would fight the 2027 assembly polls alone.
Addressing a gathering during the party’s “Punjab Bachao” campaign at Koom Kalan near Ludhiana, Sukhbir said the SAD was fundamentally different from ‘Delhi-based parties’ that, according to him, come to Punjab only to loot. He alleged that national parties such as the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party had repeatedly betrayed the state. He claimed that during the devastating floods last year, both the state and central governments had failed to adequately support affected residents.
Outlining the party’s vision, Sukhbir said if voted to power, the SAD would prioritise education and provide free education up to graduation level. He also promised to establish one medical, engineering and veterinary college in each district.
Sukhbir further announced that the SAD government would take strict action against gangsters and the drug mafia, including legislation to deny them bail and confiscate their properties. Environmental protection would also be a priority, he said, adding that industrial and sewage effluents would not be allowed to flow into the Sutlej and Beas.
On the issue of water sharing, the SAD chief reiterated the party’s stand against diversion of Punjab’s water through the Rajasthan Canal, blaming the Congress for earlier agreements and vowing to redirect water to farmers in Punjab.
