Sukhbir Badal, the President of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), expressed willingness to court arrest at DGP Gaurav Yadav’s office in Chandigarh. He raised concerns about alleged unjust persecution of his chartered accountants and associates by the Punjab Police on orders from Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Badal emphasized that the actions against his associates were unrelated to the investigation into the 328 ‘swaroops’ or the Shiromani committee.
Badal disclosed that his business records were being seized illegally, and his employees were reportedly pressured to falsely implicate him. He clarified that his business dealings were transparent and legal, despite threats from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Badal warned against what he termed as ‘goondaism’ and stated that the SAD would take to the streets if the harassment continued. He cautioned Kejriwal against misusing the Punjab Police and accused the AAP government of targeting SAD to curb its growing popularity.
The SAD leader highlighted that false cases were being fabricated against party members, including senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia, to suppress their voices. Badal alleged that SITs, acting as private armies of the AAP, were being used to entangle SAD leaders in baseless accusations. He attributed these actions to the government’s attempt to thwart SAD’s success, especially after the party’s strong performance in recent elections in the Malwa region.
