SAD dismisses proposed Road Show as ''poll stunt''

Hoshiarpur, Oct 28 (UNI) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) General Secretary Sukhbir Singh Badal, MP, today dismissed the proposed road show of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh as a mere election stunt to befool the public in quest of votes in the coming assembly polls.

Talking to mediapersons, Mr Singh said the proposed road show was only a ''drama'' by a chief minister who during his four-and-a-half year regime had never gone to the public and was not accessible even to the ministers.

Reacting to the formation of Barnala as 20th district of Punjab, Mr Singh said the Congress move was taken in frustration as there was no need to give Barnala the status of a district.

Replying to a question about the recent clash among Akali factions at Kathunangal, Mr Badal said that SAD (B) had already conveyed apprehension to the police about the intention of Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, Chief of SAD (A) and his supporters to cause disturbances in the function of Baba Budhaji- the first head granthi of the Golden Temple.

He alleged that instead of taking preventive measures, the police, at the behest of DGP S S Virk, had encouraged Mr Mann and his supporters to attack activists of SAD (B) and audience during the function. Mr Badal also demanded that an FIR should be registered against the DGP.

The SAD (B) would announce its election manifesto in the month of December, 2006 and a committee headed by Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, MP, had been constituted to finalise the manifesto, he said.

Replying to a question, Mr Sukhbir Singh said while SAD-BJP alliance was strong, SAD would have also opened its door for any of the like-minded political party to defeat Congress in the next assembly polls.

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