Farmers Movement Archive

‘Only govt can resolve’: Akali Dal’s Delhi leader explains why he joined BJP

NEW DELHI: Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, one of the party’s most prominent faces in national capital Delhi, on Wednesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), hours after he resigned as the president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).“There are several issues concerning the Sikh community across the country and these can be resolved only by the government. I have always raised these issues. I discussed some of the issues faced by the community with home minister Amit Shahji today. I’m happy to inform you that the minister said that he wants to address all these issues,” Sirsa said after making the switch ahead of the Punjab elections.The two-time former legislator from Rajouri Garden in west Delhi joined the BJP in the presence of Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Dharmendra Pradhan, and other senior leaders. He also met Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda.The Akali Dal, which left the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance last year over the now-repealed three contentious farm laws, mounted a strident attack on the BJP, alleging that the ruling party arm-twisted Sirsa into joining the party.SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said the BJP poached the Akali leader using pressure tactics by involving him in false cases. “Sirsa has been fighting for issues related to the Sikhs under difficult circumstances but our party feels sad that he succumbed to the pressure this time. However other leaders of our party including Akali Dal’s Delhi unit President Harmeet Singh Kalka are standing tall against the odds,” he added.Sirsa told reporters that he was joining the BJP to work for his community, its welfare and to continue humanitarian work.“There are several issues concerning the Sikh community which are unresolved for the past 70 years. In the national capital, Baba Banda Singh Bahadurji was martyred…But we couldn’t even get one university for the Sikh community in the past 70 years due to our weak leadership... What’s the point if the concerns of the community, which fights on the borders, are not addressed for years?” he said.Sirsa, who won the Delhi assembly election in 2013 and 2017, has been Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president for the past few years. Under his leadership, DSGMC was actively involved in providing medical facilities and other essential services during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially during the second wave when there was an oxygen crisis in the capital.Hours before he joined the BJP, Sirsa tweeted a thank you note to his former colleagues at the gurudwara body, “With gratitude to all office bearers, members, staff & people who worked with me; I am resigning from Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee as President. I will not contest upcoming DSGMC internal elections. My commitment to serve my community, humanity & nation remains same!”

Hindustan Times

01-12-2021

India