BATHINDA: The Bharatiya Kisan Union’s (BKU) decision to support a candidate of the Shiromani Akali Dal for the Gidderbaha Assembly by elections, has made it tough for the Congress to meet the challenge of its rivals.

This decision was taken at a meeting between the Akali Dal president, Parkash Singh Badal, and the BKU president, Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, in Gidderbaha last week.

Satnam Singh Behru, BKU press secretary, in a statement issued here on May 1, said that the BKU and ‘Akali Dal had formed an alliance on certain issues.

He said that the tie-up would continue in future Behru said that the main aim of the BKU was to defeat the Congress which was anti-farmer and anti-Punjab. He said that the BKU had earlier planned to field a common candidate with the Lok Yudh Morcha but Jagmeet Singh Brar, convenor of the Morcha, had backed out from the arrangement.

According to Behnu, the Akali Dal and BKU would fight the Gidderbaha polls on the issues of getting exclusive rights on water and power resources for Punjab; restoration of human rights in the state; repealing of TADA; punishment to accused of 1984 riots; release of Sikh youths in jails; linkage of crop rates with price index; eradication of corruption from government employees, avenues for youth, They would also work towards protecting interests of minorities.

Behru said that the alliance would join hands with other likeminded parties in the state to form a strong anti-Congress front and set up the next government in the state, He said that hundreds of workers would proceed to Mukatar on Tuesday where the Akali Dal candidate, Manpreet Singh, would file his nominations.

Meanwhile, Badal had formally announced that Manpreet Singh would be the party candidate for the Gidderbaha by polls. The announcement was made after a meeting of the nine member unity committee held at Gidderbaha late Sunday night.

The meeting also took a decision to dissolve the party units in Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi, Badal told media persons that these units and the Punjab unit would be reconstituted after the Gidderbaha by elections. Meanwhile in Ludhiana, the BKU (Lakhowal), has dissociated itself from the Lok Yudh Morcha led by Jagmeet Singh Brar, dissident Congress MP.

The BKU general secretary, Manjit Singh Kadian, stated on Monday that in the wake of Brar’s statement regarding the Gidderbaha Assembly by elections, the BKU would have not truck with him in the light of his decision not to leave Congress,

He said that the union had been hesitant from the very start to enter into a alliance with Brar since it felt that the alliance was possible only ‘after he quit the ruling party.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 5, 1995