SAD counters sacrilege charge, targets AAP over Dera Sirsa links

Addressing the gathering, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that both the Congress and AAP had politicised the sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib to target his party. (Express Photo)

Using the Maghi rally platform to set the tone for the 2027 Assembly elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) on Wednesday sought to turn the tables on the 2015 sacrilege issue, accusing the Aam Aadmi Party government of colluding with Dera Sirsa head Gurmeet Ram Rahim, an accused in the sacrilege cases.

Badal claimed that incidents of sacrilege began in Punjab after AAP’s entry into the state in 2014. Referring to the Malerkotla case, he said an AAP MLA had been convicted in a sacrilege matter. “Once we come to power, we will probe AAP’s role in the sacrilege incidents to get to the bottom of this conspiracy,” he added.

Earlier, senior party leader and spokesperson Maheshinder Grewal accused the AAP government of shielding Gurmeet Ram Rahim by delaying prosecution. He said the case against the Dera Sirsa head had been shifted from Faridkot to Chandigarh, but despite three years having passed, the trial had not begun. “There is no stay in the case. Then why has the prosecution not started?” Grewal asked, alleging that the delay was aimed at allowing witnesses to turn hostile.

Grewal also questioned the repeated paroles granted to Gurmeet Ram Rahim, saying this amounted to “rubbing salt in the wounds of the Sikhs”. He claimed there had been 120 sacrilege incidents during AAP’s tenure, but the alleged conspiracy behind them had not been uncovered.

It was the first time the SAD accused AAP, from the party stage, of colluding with Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

Badal also alleged that the AAP government was now targeting SAD leaders. “They want to register a case against me. I am ready. Like Parkash Singh Badal, I will not bow,” he said, while questioning what consequences would follow for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Claiming that Punjabis wanted an end to AAP rule, Badal appealed for support for a regional party to safeguard the state’s future. He announced a series of poll promises, including free tubewell connections for farmers who do not have one, interest-free loans of Rs 10 lakh for youth, and removal of road tax on motorcycles.

The SAD president said his party was committed to correcting what he termed historical injustices, including diversion of Punjab’s water to Rajasthan through the Rajasthan Canal. He also promised to reserve government jobs for Punjabis, restart the Kabaddi Cup and livestock championships, and tackle gangsterism and drug trafficking if SAD returned to power.

Badal also appealed to leaders who had left the party due to anger or grievances to return to the SAD fold, saying the party needed unity to “save Punjab”.

Addressing the conference, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami urged the Sikh community to identify forces he said were trying to weaken SAD and its religious institutions.