Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday expressed surprise at the repeated assertions of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that it would not ally with the former when no such desire had been echoed by the SAD.
 
SAD’s senior leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal, reacting to repeated statements by the BJP on the issue, said: “SAD is allied with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Punjab. The alliance is doing well and there is no proposal to have a truck with any other party, including the BJP. SAD has never talked about any future alliance with the BJP and the latter should stop speculating on this issue on an everyday basis.”
 
Grewal also reminded the BJP that the SAD had broken its alliance with the saffron party on a matter of principle when the former betrayed the ‘annadaata’ by forcing through the three black laws on agriculture in the Parliament without any discussion with its alliance partner or the stakeholders – the farmers. “Subsequently, the BJP has taken one decision after another to the detriment of both Punjab and the Sikh community which has resulted in a sense of disquiet amongst Punjabis,” he added.
 
He said that prime among these included the breaking of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) by creating a separate Gurdwara Committee for Haryana besides interfering in the SGPC elections. “BJP led Central Government has also gone back on the solemn commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev that all Bandi Singhs would be released…This has caused anguish in the Sikh community,” he added, while also citing other instances.