Sidhu joining any party won’t affect SAD’s prospects: Ms. Badal

Amid specualtions of Navjot Singh Sidhu joining hands with the AAP or the Congress, Union Minister and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday said it will have no bearing on her party’s prospects in the Punjab Assembly polls and exuded confidence of staging a record hat-trick of victory.

Mr. Sidhu, who quit his Rajya Sabha seat and BJP sometime ago, is engaged in talks with the AAP and the Congress ahead of crucial Assembly polls in the State slated early next year.

“Unreliable parties”

The wife of Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and a senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader also dubbed the AAP and the Congress as “unreliable parties” who have no agenda and can do no good to Punjab.

“Whichever party Mr. Sidhu joins, it will have no effect on SAD’s performance in the Punjab polls... Zero plus zero will make zero,” Ms. Badal told reporters when asked about Mr. Sidhu engaged in talks with the AAP and the Congress.

“The Akali Dal will go to people on the basis of its performance in last 10 years. It will make development as the poll agenda and will seek votes on its performance and promises fulfilled, unlike the AAP and the Congress which have nothing to talk about except making false allegations. The Akali Dal will stage a hat-trick this time based on its performance,” she said.

Terming the AAP and the Congress as two sides of the same coin, Ms. Badal said AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has not yet fulfilled his promise of putting former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in jail.

“The AAP and the Congress are two sides of the same coin. Mr. Kejriwal talked about putting Sheila Dikshit behind bars, but then formed a government with the same Congress. It has been three years, he does not even mention about putting Ms. Dikshit in jail. They are unreliable parties who have no agenda,” she said.

Attacking the Congress, she said, Amarinder Singh has done nothing during his five-year term as Chief Minister and that is why he is only hurling accusations and abuses at others.

Taking on the AAP, she said: “There has been no performance in Delhi. What have you done? You got your salary hiked by four times and advertisement budget was raised. He (Kejriwal) is unable to perform in his State, that is why he is running out to other States like Punjab, Goa and Gujarat.” “They have befooled the people of Delhi and now they are wanting to befool the public in other States,” she alleged. - PTI