Giani Harpreet slams Badal-led SAD, vows to revive party's ‘original spirit'

Time of India

2 days ago

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Amritsar: Giani Harpreet Singh, newly elected president of a reconstituted
Shiromani Akali Dal
(SAD), launched a scathing attack on the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led SAD, accusing the party of losing its political and moral relevance and failing the youth of Punjab.
In a speech delivered after his election, Harpreet Singh said once most-significant party had lost its moral and political relevance and become a tool for self-interest, leading to its national irrelevance. "There was a time if the SAD president would sit on a dharna, the Prime Minister would come personally to hear his demands. When Master Tara Singh protested in Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru came himself to ask what he wanted.
Today, the SAD-backed SGPC president has been requesting an appointment with the Prime Minister for two years—and hasn't even received a response. This is the level to which we've fallen," he said.
He said the reorganised SAD, guided by the directive of the Akal Takht issued on Dec 2, 2024, seeks to revive the spirit and purpose of the original Akali Dal—one rooted in service, sacrifice, and Sikh values.
Talking of Punjab's economy, he said, "There was a time when Sikhs were seen as one of the richest communities in India, especially before the Partition. In pre-1947 Punjab, trade was with Hindus, but agriculture—the backbone of the land—was in the hands of Sikhs," he said, alleging that the Centre had suppressed the community and destroyed its industries, pushing farmers into debt and driving the youth to emigrate.
He claimed this decline was enabled by a leadership that looked the other way.
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