Punjab: Former Sangrur MLA Parkash Chand Garg joins SAD (Sanyukt)
Parkash Chand Garg was the known ‘Hindu’ face of the Akali Dal and remained Sangrur MLA from 2012 to 2017. He was reportedly miffed with the party over the appointment of Winnerjit Singh Goldy as Sangrur halqa in-charge.
Former Sangrur MLA and senior vice-president of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Parkash Chand Garg on Saturday jumped ship and joined Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) here at Bhawanigarh. SAD (Sanyukt) chief Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa welcomed him into the party fold.
Garg was the known ‘Hindu’ face of the Akali Dal and remained Sangrur MLA from 2012 to 2017. He was reportedly miffed with the party over the appointment of Winnerjit Singh Goldy as Sangrur halqa in-charge.
On January 14 this year, Garg had resigned from the SAD party posts of Patiala district observer and member of the advisory board. While resigning, Garg announced that he would focus only on the Sangrur assembly constituency.
Garg has been contesting the election as a SAD party candidate from Sangrur constituency since 2007, but ahead of the 2022 state polls, the party gave him a ticket from the Dhuri assembly segment, just three months ahead of the elections. In subsequent state polls, Garg faced a humiliating defeat, securing just 6,991 votes.
Garg has contested from the Sangrur assembly constituency in 2007, 2012 and 2017, winning once in the 2012 assembly polls.
While joining SAD (Sanyukt), Garg accused SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal of running the party as a dictator.
“Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal is surrounded by sycophants and there is no place for democracy in the party. The president is running the party like a dictator. Despite the hard work of workers, the party is losing the trust among people. Therefore, I have resigned from the membership of the party and joined SAD (Sanyukt) to serve people,” Garg said.
Former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa welcomed Garg and said, “Shiromani Akali Dal is not a property of a person or a family. We are the only ones who still follow the ideology of Akali Dal.”
