LUDHIANA: The United Front would contest all the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab during the forthcoming elections. This was announced by state president of Janata Dal, Balwant Singh Khera at a news conference here last week. He revealed that a joint meeting of the Front constituents JD, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Republican Party of India and the Indira Congress (Tiwari) will be held at Jalandhar on July 24 to chalk out the poll strategy. The state JD will meet at Amritsar on July 25 for similar reasons.
Khera said the Front shall not have any truck with the “reckonry” Shiromani Akali Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Charging these parties with dividing the people in the name of religion, caste and community, he said the Front shall create mass awareness against them, He asserted that the UF shall never allow Badal to become Punjab Chief Minister.
Khera ridiculed the Akalis for smearing the Congress with corruption. He alleged that Badal collected an election fund of Rs 25 crore during last Lok Sabha elections, most of which was spent in his son’s constituency. He demanded an inquiry into the mode of this collection and expenditure.
He cautioned the Akali Dal against contesting the general house elections of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, saying a political party should keep away from religious affairs.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 10, 1996
