Chandigarh, March 14 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Saturday that he would fight for the rights of Punjab and its people, and had complete faith that the people would stand by his party and hand it a landslide victory in the 2027 Assembly elections.

Reacting to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) decision to fight the 2027 Punjab polls independently, the SAD President told the media after addressing a public meeting in Sahnewal town that “every political party has the right to take its own decision on alliances”.

Asserting that the Akali Dal had contested the 2024 Parliamentary elections independently, he said “for us the interests of Punjab and Punjabis are supreme, sovereign and above everything else”.

Making it clear that SAD was very different from Delhi-based parties, who only came to rule, Badal added that the party had always stood by its principles and would continue to do so.

“Earlier, former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was also given many allurements but he chose to remain in jail for 16 years rather than compromise the rights of the state. I will also continue to fight for the rights of Punjab. I have full faith in the wisdom of Punjabis who realise they have been repeatedly betrayed at the hands of the parties of Delhi.”

“I’m confident they (people of Punjab) will hand 100 seats to the SAD in the forthcoming Assembly elections,” the SAD Chief said.

Earlier, while addressing the gathering, Badal said “can Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) or Modiji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) have the same concern for you (people of Punjab) as the Badal family or the SAD?”

Asserting that all Delhi-based parties, including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), came to Punjab to loot it, the SAD Chief said that in direct contrast, SAD had always stood with the people of Punjab through thick and thin while giving the example of the devastating floods last year when the AAP government as well as the Central government abandoned the people of Punjab to their own fate.

Reacting to a demand from former Minister Sharanjit Singh Dhillon to establish the World Skill University envisioned by the SAD in Sahnewal, Badal noted that “we (SAD) will do this and ensure corporates are involved to ensure precision training can be given to our youth as per the desired skills required by the industry”.

–IANS

vg/khz