Main Aim to Bring Maximum

Hoshiarpur/Daljeet Ajnoha/May 21 : Revitalizing the Shiromani Akali Dal ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections is the responsibility of every party worker, said Dharaminder Kumar Tony, state general secretary of the party’s trade wing. Following directions from Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal, regional-level programmes have been launched to strengthen the party. The initiatives aim to raise awareness among as many traders as possible about the Akali Dal’s policies and to bring them into the party’s fold.
Using these outreach efforts, the Akali Dal is pressing the Punjab government on traders’ concerns as well as the scourge of drug abuse and other major issues affecting the state.
Addressing the matter, Tony warned that drug abuse is a major problem in Punjab today. He accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which used to question Akali leaders about drug abuse when the Akalis were in power, of failing to act as drugs are now being sold widely across the state. “Young people are dying every day because of drug misuse,” he said, adding that those fighting drugs have been falsely implicated and jailed.
Tony challenged AAP and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over earlier claims that governments were involved in drug trafficking and that factories producing drugs were operating in Punjab. “Four years of AAP rule have passed. Has the AAP government seized any drug factories? Has it arrested those running them?” he asked, accusing the Punjab government of gross failure on the drug issue and other fronts. He alleged that the AAP is being run from Delhi and has not acted as a protector of Punjab’s interests.
He further accused the AAP and Congress of politicising issues such as drug abuse, sacrilege and unemployment. Tony stressed that the Akali Dal has always practised principled politics and fulfilled the promises it made previously. “This time too, we will present our vision for the state, focused on maintaining peace and harmony and including every section of society,” he said.
Tony said the party will take a clear stand on key issues and remain committed to resolving them. These include returning Chandigarh to Punjab and settling disputes over river waters with the state. He expressed deep concern over the weakening of India’s federal structure and said the party is committed to protecting it robustly. He added that erosion of federalism has harmed Punjab economically by affecting central funding allocations and reducing states’ freedom to spend as per their priorities.