Harsimrat Badal denies signalling SAD-BJP alliance for Punjab elections
Shiromani Akali Dal's lone MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has denied signalling any alliance between the SAD and BJP for Punjab elections. Speaking to The Indian Express, the four-time Bathinda MP clarified her position amid speculation about potential electoral partnerships in the state ahead of Assembly polls scheduled in just over four months.
Badal is currently leading her party's women-focused Mawan Dhiyan Insaaf Yatra against drugs across Punjab, holding at least three meetings a day. She emphasized that her anti-drug campaign focuses on women worst-affected by the drug menace in the state, contrasting it with the AAP government's Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana. According to Badal, women attending her programmes express fear about sending their children to schools and colleges due to the drug problem.
The SAD leader criticized the current administration's handling of the drug crisis, stating that during her party's previous tenure between 2007 and 2017, drugs were not sold openly on streets nor were youngsters seen with syringe-marked arms. She alleged that heroin is currently being sold freely in Punjab today and highlighted a nexus between drug suppliers and police, with complainants being threatened rather than drug suppliers being prosecuted.
