Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said there is no such thing as dynastic politics.
During an interview with Indian Express, the SAD chief denied the BJP claim that there is no room for dynastic regional parties. “What is dynastic politics? Are these leaders not elected? The BJP now wants to remain in power forever. So, is it okay to have a dictatorship? Is it okay if someone is winning for 20-30 years? Just look at the way the BJP is now reneging on its ‘retirement age’ of 75 years,” he said.
Badal said “people could have faith in a family”. “That is true even in the US. Look at the Bush, Biden families,” he told Indian Express.
Also read: 'Hindus of Punjab are different': Sukhbir Badal on Ram Mandir effect
Badal is Commandeering his first Lok Sabha election without his father, the late Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, by his side or the BJP as an ally.
Badal alleged that the BJP was taking “unilateral decisions”. “What is dangerous is the way the BJP is taking unilateral decisions without giving space to others. Dalits feel that if the BJP comes back with a brute majority, they will wipe out reservations,” he said.
Speaking about SAD winning only three out of 117 seats in the 2022 Assembly polls, Badal said a “drastic change” is on the cards. “We will see a big rise in our vote percentages, regardless of the number of seats we win. The people of Punjab have realised that the Akali Dal is their only bet,” said the SAD chief.
He also rubbished BJP’s claim of reaching the 400-seat target in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “I can see panic in their party. Otherwise, why would the PM stoop so low as to talk about saving mangalsutras? The BJP has become so desperate in the state that they are asking temple workers to seek votes for them,” Badal told Indian Express.
Explaining why the SAD did not tie up with any political party for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Badal said he did not want “unprincipled alliances' '. After we supported the farmers’ agitation, the BJP started systematically attacking our institutions, such as Takht Patna Sahib and Takht Hazoor Sahib, by wresting control. What was the need to change the Takht Hazoor Sahib Act? They also dismantled the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in Haryana,” he said.
According to Badal, national parties contest in Punjab for the numbers. “They act as conquerors, almost in the same vein as the East India Company. Our interest is the welfare of Punjab. Akali means Punjab, Punjabis and Sikhs. Akalis are secular, as Sikhs by nature are secular. Look at our Gurus, they sacrificed their lives to protect others. We need peace and communal harmony in Punjab. We went through a terrible phase in the state, and can’t let it happen again,” he said.
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