PATIALA: Copt Amrinder Singh, vice president of Shiromani Akali Dal, has appealed to Mr. Parkaash Singh Badal and Mr, Gurcharan Singh Tohra to consider the offer of the rival Akali Dal chief, Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann, to have some sort of electoral understanding with him in order to give crushing defeat to the Congress government in the ensuing parliamentary elections.
Addressing a press conference here, Copt Amrinder Singh said that such an agreement would increase the possibility of unity among the two Dals.
He said neither Mr, Mann nor any other leader had approached him on the issue but he had put forward the proposal on his own. If this was not done, the two Dals would field candidates against each other, which would cut into the votes polled by them, he said.
Copt Amrinder Singh he was not keen on contesting the parliamentary elections and would support the candidature of Prof Prem Singh ‘Chandumajra for the Patiala scat, since the latter has expressed this desire to contest from Patiala.
He said there were about 17 parliamentary seats outside Punjab where the Akali Dal could influence considerable number of votes. Therefore, it would be in the interest of the Akalis to have an understanding with the national parties to field its candidates outside Punjab. He said the Akalis should work for” the solution of the river waters dispute through the Supreme Court.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 14, 1996
