हिंदी
(Sukhbir S Badal says SAD cannot back candidate propped by anti Sikh Congress )
(Says Murmu symbolizes cause of minorities and tribal segments of society)
Chandigarh July 1 – The Shiromani Akali Dal today accepted presidential hopeful Ms Draupadi Murmu’s appeal for support in the forthcoming poll “as she symbolizes the cause of minorities, the exploited and backward classes as well as the dignity of women. She has emerged as a symbol of the poor and tribal segments in the country,” says a resolution passed at a meeting of the party’s Core Committee here this afternoon.
“While our reservations with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over key issues like removing a sense of insecurity from the minds of minorities and justice for Punjab, especially the Sikhs still remain, the SAD is eventually inspired and guided by the ideals placed before humanity by the great Guru Sahiban in supporting the cause of the poor, the down trodden and minorities including the tribal segments of society. Ms Murmu not only symbolises the dignity of womenfolk but also belongs to the very downtrodden and the minority classes for whose cause the great Guru Sahiban made supreme sacrifices,” said the Core Committee at the end of in-depth and detailed discussion lasting over three hours at the paty head quarters here.
Later, the SAD president S Sukhbir Singh Badal met Ms Murmu here this afternoon to convey to her the party’s decision to support her candidature.
Ms Murmu thanked the SAD president for the support.
Mr Badal was accompanied by senior leaders Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Charanjit Singh Atwal, Prem Singh Chandumajra and Mr Harcharan Bains.
Earlier yesterday, the BJP president Mr J P Datta had also called Mr S S Badal seeking SAD support for Ms Murmu. Mr Badal had told the BJP chief that a decision on the decision will be taken collectively by Senior SAD leaders in the Core Committee.
Giving details of the Core Committee meeting to media persons, the SAD chief said the Core Committee party was also deeply concerned over the issues of human rights and democratic values like religious tolerance and freedom of speech. “The party will never swerve from its core pro-Punjab, pro-minority, pro farmers and pro poor agenda. But in the presidential poll in question, the options before the party are limited. The party can never even think of supporting a candidate sponsored and supported by the number enemy of the Sikhs, the Congress and its direct and indirect allies. “Our decision is guided and inspired by our principles and convictions based on the ideals placed before us by the great Guru Sahiban and we have chosen to go by these principles and ideals in supporting Ms Murmu,” Mr Badal told newsmen.
Mr Badal said that several issues related to the Sikh community and Punjab remained unresolved and that the party was committed to doing its utmost to ensure that these issues are resolved to the satisfaction of the aggrieved Punjabis especially the Sikh masses. These issues included securing the release of all Sikh detenues whose sentences had been commuted by the central government on the occasion of 550th Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, handing over Chandigarh and other Punjabi speaking areas to Punjab, resolution of Punjab’s river water issue as per the Riparian Principle as well as other issues like ensuring the status of Panjab University was not changed. Our commitment to and struggle for the fulfilment of these demands will continue, concluded Mr Badal.
