As the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab approach, scheduled for June 1, senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former minister, Bikram Singh Majithia, has launched a scathing attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While speaking to a news media agency, Majithia accused Modi of favouring Gujarat over Punjab and implementing policies detrimental to the state.
Majithia criticised the BJP’s slogan ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ as mere lip service, asserting that it is not being put into action. He also claimed that minorities in India are facing persecution. He pointed out that the drug trade is flourishing under the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, accusing the government of politicising the issue rather than addressing it.
When asked about SAD’s plan to recover from electoral setbacks since 2017, Majithia expressed confidence that the peasantry, farmers and farm labourers would return to Akali Dal in the upcoming elections. He attributed the party’s previous losses to the AAP’s unfulfilled promises of change.
On the question of rejoining hands with the BJP following the repeal of the farm laws, Majithia stated that the farmers’ issues have not been settled. He criticised the BJP for not fulfilling its promise to address the farmers’ demands and for its failure to implement the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations on Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
Majithia ruled out the possibility of SAD-BJP coming together after the elections, citing unresolved issues in Punjab and the BJP’s perceived lack of tolerance. He also accused the BJP of interfering in the affairs of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
Regarding the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in an alleged money laundering case linked to the excise policy, Majithia said that Kejriwal has been “exposed big time”. He criticised Kejriwal for his silence on the alleged attack on Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at the Delhi chief minister’s residence.
Finally, on the issue of the drug menace in Punjab, Majithia accused the AAP of playing politics on the issue. He called on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to address the problem, which he claimed is not only prevalent in Punjab but also in Gujarat.
Also Read: Gujarat Police Nabs NEET Paper Leak Accused From Bihar
