“Don’t feel safe if you (candidates) have got the poll ticket. It is not permanent as it depends on how much you work for the upcoming polls. If anybody is found weak, he or she can be replaced,” deputy chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said while addressing party workers here on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, waiting to cover the meeting of Sukhbir here after being invited by the district public relations officer (DPRO) to the venue at Killi Chahal village here, mediapersons were told to leave the venue by the deputy chief minister, who came to the meeting late by three hours.
Sukhbir, accompanied by finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, education minister Daljit Singh Cheema, agriculture minister Tota Singh and other senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, was here on Tuesday to review the arrangements for the historic ‘Pani Bachao Punjab Bachao’ rally to be organised on the birth anniversary of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on December 8.
As soon as Sukhbir stood up to address the gathering, he asked mediapersons to leave the venue after clicking photographs saying it was a party’s internal meeting.
However, after media personnel protested against his autocratic behaviour, Sukhbir, while leaving the venue after concluding the meeting, specially stopped his car where mediapersons were standing and talked to them there.
{{/usCountry}}However, after media personnel protested against his autocratic behaviour, Sukhbir, while leaving the venue after concluding the meeting, specially stopped his car where mediapersons were standing and talked to them there.
{{/usCountry}}Talking on the failure of intelligence agencies regarding the attack on the Nabha Jail, he said that investigation were on and truth would be out soon.
“The ISI of Pakistan has always tried to disturb the country but as you have seen the Punjab government is very vigilant and has maintained peace in the state in the past nine years. This incident is condemnable, but our officers have to handle it very responsibly and carefully,” Badal said.
On the resignation of Nihal Singh Wala MLA Rajwinder Kaur Bhagike and Baghapurana MLA Maheshinder Singh, Sukhbir said that it is good that they (Bhagike and Maheshinder) can now also contest the elections.
Taking a stock of the preparations for the December 8 rally to be held here, he exhorted party workers to gear up for the polls.
A worker said that Sukhbir discussed the preparations for the rally and also warned the candidates that the party could cancel the ticket of a candidate if he showed laxity in the run-up to the polls.