SAD-BSP alliance will sweep 2022 assembly polls in Punjab: Bikram Singh Majithia

Senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Sunday claimed that the newly formed SAD-BSP alliance will sweep the 2022 Punjab assembly elections. More like-minded parties will come on the same platform with the SAD and the BSP in the near future, he added.
The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) stitched an alliance on Saturday for the 2022 assembly election in Punjab, with both the parties coming together after a gap of 25 years.

Under the tie-up, the BSP led by former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati would fight on 20 of the 117 assembly seats in Punjab, while the rest will be contested by the SAD.

Talking to media persons here on Sunday, Majithia said, "Two big parties with a similar ideology have come together on one platform. This will result in a clean sweep in favour of the alliance in the 2022 assembly elections."

He asserted that the SAD-BSP alliance was a meeting of minds.

"Both parties opposed the three agricultural bills vociferously in Parliament, with Harsimrat Kaur Badal even quitting the cabinet and the SAD leaving the NDA government. In direct contrast, both the Congress and the AAP preferred to conduct walk-outs and symbolic protests," he said.

Majithia said the SAD-BSP combine was committed to ensure welfare of the farmers as well as Dalits and employees who were being "discriminated" against by the Congress regime.

"We will also intensify the agitation against ministers Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Balbir Singh Sidhu in the coming days," he added.

Majithia said it was unfortunate that Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was "shielding" them.

"While Dharamsot has been indicted by the additional chief secretary of allegedly embezzling Rs 65 crore meant for the SC scholarship, Balbir Sidhu is involved in the vaccine and 'Fateh' kit scams," he alleged.

He asserted that the Punjab government and the Centre were "discriminating" against farmers.

While the central government has adopted an "intransigent attitude towards farmers and their demand for repeal of the three black laws", the Punjab government was repeatedly increasing VAT on diesel, Majithia alleged.

He claimed the Punjab government has earned more than Rs 2,000 crore from value added tax only.

Majithia said it was unfortunate that farmers in Punjab were suffering due to labour shortage during the ongoing paddy transplantation season because train services have been halted.

Special trains should be run from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to Punjab to ensure migrant labourers could be engaged in paddy transplantation, he said.

He lashed out at the Congress government for failing to take measures to retain labourers in the state by extending facilities to them.