Chandigarh, January 11, 2017: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said Punjabis would never let any outsider from Haryana become their chief minister and that they would foil all attempts being made by AAP to foist Arvind Kejriwal on Punjabis.
Addressing a press conference here, SAD mp and secretary general Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said Delhi CM Manish Sisodia had disrespected the memory of the 43 martyrs who had given their lives for the realization of the Punjabi Suba dream by openly moving the candidature of Arvind Kejriwal as CM of Punjab.
Mr Dhindsa, who was accompanied by senior leader and mp Prem Singh Chandumajra, said it was condemnable that the entire Punjab based senior leadership of AAP had meekly accepted Kejriwal’s candidature. “This despite the fact that the party has been stating since months that it would choose its chief ministerial candidate from Punjab. This shows that the AAP leadership in Punjab has sold its soul to outsiders”, he added.
While giving details Mr Dhindsa said the AAP leaders were quiet and watching the entire proceedings helplessly because they did not have any voice in the party. “It is a truth that AAP has appointed 52 outsiders as zonal incharges across the State and it is these people who call the shots and not the local leadership”, he added.
Mr Chandumajra while speaking on the occasion said the AAP leadership may have accepted Haryanvi Kejriwal’s candidature but Punjabis would never accept this. “We are still fighting over the issue of SYL in which Kejriwal submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court asking that the canal be built through Haryana to bring Punjab waters to Delhi. Tomorrow there is a real danger that he may sell off the interests of Punjab on the issue of acquiring Chandigarh as its capital and getting back Punjabi speaking areas from Haryana to his native State”. He said the State could also suffer in other untold ways including difficulty in lifting of foodgrains and lack of subsequent central grants due to the confrontationist policies of AAP and its chief Kejriwal.
Others present on the occasion included Advisor to Deputy CM – Manjinder Sirsa and SAD president’s media advisor Jangveer Singh.