New Delhi [India], August 10 (ANI): BJP MP Ashok Kumar Mittal on Monday dismissed speculation over a possible alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), saying that the meeting between SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a formal interaction.
Speaking to ANI, Mittal said that the Prime Minister regularly interacts with leaders from different political parties, particularly in Punjab as it is a border state.
“Any meeting between a leader and the Prime Minister is essentially a formal interaction. Since Punjab is a border state, the Prime Minister frequently consults leaders from various parties to gather their views and feedback on Punjab’s politics, security situation, and the drug problem. Therefore, there is no real basis for such speculation,” Mittal said.
He acknowledged that the BJP and SAD have shared an alliance in the past, but said that the present political circumstances did not indicate an immediate possibility of the two parties coming together again.
“They have been allies in the past and have formed a government together at least three times. However, given the current political landscape and circumstances, it does not seem likely that such a thing will happen right now,” the BJP MP said.
Mittal’s remarks came after SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal held a high-level meeting with the party’s senior leadership in Chandigarh and demanded the immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Taking to X, Badal said the party had demanded the immediate implementation of the legislation, citing the Sikh Gurus’ teachings on the dignity and equality of women.
“The Shiromani Akali Dal draws inspiration from the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, who championed the dignity, equality and equal rights of women,” Badal said.
The SAD also discussed the proposed delimitation exercise and called for a fair and equitable process that safeguards the interests of all states.
Badal said the party supported a proposal for a uniform 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats across states, while stressing that women’s reservation and delimitation should be implemented immediately.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 was passed in both Houses of Parliament, but failed to move ahead with implementation after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill fell in the Lok Sabha on April 17, not being able to receive the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of members present and voting. The Bill proposed the implementation of the 33 per cent women’s reservation in legislatures and delimitation in the Lok Sabha. (ANI)
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