CHANDIGARH: The Akali Dal (Badal) president, Parkash Singh Badal, alleged the Punjab Congress (I) was resorting to totally illegitimate and undemocratic means to convert its defeat in the recent municipal elections to victory.
Talking to newsmen here, Badal said the Beant Singh Government Cut a sorry figure in the civic poll despite the misuse of official machinery in favor of the candidates of the ruling party. The people rejected most of them and the Government had delayed notification of the elections and cooption’s allowing the ruling party time to indulge in horse-trading.
The Akali leader condemned the hike in prices of petroleum products and said it would break the back of the common many by hitting every section of society, especially farmers.
Badal appealed to all Panthic leader, not to indulge in mudslinging against one another and concentrate on fighting repressive policies of the Center and State governments, Asked about the outcome of his warning to the Akali Dal (Mann) president, Simranjit Singh Mann, to stop leveling charges against him, Badal said, “wait for a few days.”
He said his party would associate with any Panthic meeting or conference only if it was being held jointly after a joint decision of Panthic bodies. He had stayed away from the Chalapar conference as it was organized only by the Mann faction.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1992
