Sukhbir Singh Badal

After SAD's section of party leaders rebel, Badal dissolves core committee

Facing rebellion by a section of party leaders, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday dissolved its core committee, the outfit's highest decision-making body. Several senior party leaders, including some from the core committee, had last month demanded that Badal step down as the party chief following its debacle in the recently held Lok Sabha elections in Punjab. The leaders who had raised the banner of rvolt included former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, former MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala and former ministers Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Surjit Singh Rakhra. Chandumajra, Maluka, Wadala and Rakhra were among the members of the core committee. SAD senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema on Tuesday said the core committee of the SAD has been dissolved. He said that the working committee of the party has authorised Badal to reorganise the party organisation. "In this regard the party President discussed in detail with his senior colleagues

SAD reflects on LS poll outcome, reposes faith in Badal's leadership

Amid voices emerging within the party calling for a change at the top, the Shiromani Akali Dal core committee Thursday held a detailed discussion on its drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, and reposed full faith in Sukhbir Singh Badal's leadership SAD leader Charanjit Singh Brar wrote an open letter to party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, suggesting him to form a committee in the larger interests of the party. The Badal-led SAD faced a drubbing in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as it could manage to win only the Bathinda parliamentary constituency out of total 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. The SAD also saw a drop in its vote share from 27.45 percent in 2019 to 13.42 percent in 2024 polls. The meeting of SAD's core committee, which is the party's top decision making body, started at 3 pm and continued till 9:30 pm. In a statement, the party said the core committee held a prolonged and in-depth discussion on the prevailing political situation in the state, including analysis and introspection of

Mann has 'understanding' with Amit Shah to split AAP after LS poll: Badal

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has an "understanding" with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to split AAP into a separate Punjab unit after the elections, like Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde did in Maharashtra, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed on Saturday. Badal made the claim while addressing rallies at Sunam and Dhuri for the Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) Sangrur candidate Iqbal Singh Jhundan. "Bhagwant Mann has compromised with the BJP as he felt he would also be arrested like his boss (Arvind) Kejriwal because he had also perpetrated the same liquor scam as done by AAP in Delhi. This understanding has saved him from arrest," Badal alleged. Shiv Sena leader Shinde became Maharashtra chief minister after parting ways with Uddhav Thackeray and forming an alliance with the BJP. The Election Commission of India has since recognised the Shinde faction as officially representing the Shiv Sena while the Thackeray-led faction has been using the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) name. The

Punjab's 'aam aadmi' most distressed in AAP regime, says SAD chief Badal

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday said the 'aam aadmi' of Punjab were the most distressed in the AAP government's regime with people being denied even the basic facilities. The SAD president, who travelled across Tarn Taran and Khadoor Sahib assembly constituencies as part of the 'Punjab Bachao Yatra' said, "This government cannot aspire to represent the common man who is suffering in this regime which is being run by remote control from Delhi." Badal added that the "remote control" in Delhi is being used to "spread the wings of AAP across the country rather than fulfill the aspirations of the 'aam aadmi' (common man) in Punjab". Badal said infrastructure had gone to "rot" during the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regime, be it link roads or sewerage systems or even roads and streetlights in villages. He added that the poor were being denied social welfare benefits. The SAD president interacted with labourers who told him that they were the worst-affected in th

SAD chief seeks PM's intervention to ensure cotton procurement at MSP

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and ensure that cotton should be procured at the minimum support price (MSP) in Punjab. In a statement here, the SAD president said it was shocking that instead of giving the MSP of Rs 6,920 a quintal for long-staple cotton, as was done earlier, the Cotton Corporation of India imposed a quality cut of Rs 150 and was giving the assured price of Rs 6,770 per quintal to farmers. Farmers in the Abohar belt were suffering because the CCI was procuring the produce in bits and spurts, he claimed. The procurement was stopped on November 30 and restarted on December 7 only, he said, adding that it again stopped on December 9. Badal said the repeated stoppage of procurement was forcing farmers to sell their crops to private players who were purchasing the produce in the price range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,200 per quintal. Farmers were forced to go in for distress sale as they could

SAD chief Badal sends legal notice to Punjab CM for 'malicious' allegations

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal sent a legal notice to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday, asking him to tender an unconditional apology within five days for levelling "malicious" allegations against the Badal family during a debate at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana. According to the notice, Badal will seek remedies as available in the law for causing wilful defamation and libel in case Mann fails to tender the apology. The legal notice was sent by Badal's lawyer, Arshdeep Singh Kler. The notice accuses Mann of defaming Badal and his family with his "false" and "malicious" allegation that an irrigation branch was created to carry canal water to the Badal farm in Haryana's Balasar village. The allegations were levelled by the chief minister during the "Main Punjab Bolda Haan" debate held at an auditorium of the PAU on November 1. Opposition leaders from the Congress, SAD and BJP had skipped the event. "In a pre-planned and ..

Stubble burning: Centre should provide compensation, says Sukhbir Badal

Haryana Government on Friday released images that they claim are from NASA which shows that there are more than double stubbing burning incidents in Punjab as compared to Haryana on October 25 and 26

Akali Dal 'saddened' over auction of Golden Temple model gifted to PM Modi

The proceeds of the auction will go to the government's 'Namami Gange' initiative, a project aimed at rejuvenating the river Ganga

Latest LIVE: Air India cancels all flights to and from Tel Aviv till Oct 14

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Will 'Gherao' CM residence on Oct 10: Sukhbir Badal on SYL Canal issue

"Bhagwant Mann should be ashamed whom the people of Punjab made the CM with such a majority," he added

Doesn't behove Centre to change names with political motives: Sukhbir Badal

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said it does not behove the Centre to "change names with political motives" at a time when the country is hosting a G20 summit. The government should focus on development and not create divisiveness in society, Badal said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. His reaction came after a massive furore erupted over invitations for a G20 dinner were sent out by President Droupadi Murmu describing her position as 'President of Bharat' instead of the customary 'President of India' with the opposition alleging that the Modi government is planning to drop India and stay with just Bharat as the country's name. "It does not behove a Union govt to change names with political motives at a time when it is hosting the #G20 summit. How will the world perceive a country which is indulging in such political stunts," Badal asked in his post on X. "What India needs is respect for all. We will be a strong nation if there is respect for all ...

Shiromani Akali Dal Chief Sukhbir Badal dismisses BJP reunion speculation

''I have come after a month, so we are having a routine meeting. We held the meeting to discuss the VAT increase and water issues'', said the President of Shiromani Akali Dal, Sukhbir Singh Badal

Procure maize at MSP to prevent distress sales by farmers: Sukhbir Badal

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday demanded that the Punjab government procure maize at the minimum support price of Rs 2,090 per quintal to ensure that farmers do not resort to distress sales. In a statement issued here, Badal accused the government of running away from its responsibility. Due to this, the farmers are being forced to sell their produce at Rs 500 to Rs 600 per quintal to private traders, he claimed. Demanding immediate procurement of the entire maize crop at MSP, the SAD president said, "Failing to do so will deal a severe blow to the (crop) diversification attempts of the Punjab government". Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had announced with much fanfare that maize, sunflower and pulses would be procured at MSP due to which farmers had increased the acreage under these crops, Badal said. "Now, when the time has come to procure the produce, the AAP government has run away from its responsibility," he charged. Besides procuring maize at

Increasing VAT on petrol, diesel burden on common man: Sukhbir Badal

SAD President Sukhbir Badal condemned the AAP government for putting an unprecedented burden on the common person and farmers by repeatedly increasing VAT on petrol and diesel

Sukhbir appeals to leaders who left SAD to rejoin, says ready to apologise

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Thursday appealed to all leaders who had left his party in the last few years to rejoin, saying he was ready to apologise if he was at fault. He made the statement after welcoming two Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) members who had supported the candidature of Bibi Jagir Kaur in November last year for the post of president of the apex gurdwara body into the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). He welcomed the two SGPC members Harpal Singh Jalla from Payal and Amrik Singh Janaitpur from Ambala to the party fold, according to a party release here. Badal said another 10 to 15 SGPC members who had supported Bibi Jagir Kaur would rejoin the SAD in the coming days. The SAD chief also appealed to all leaders who had left the party during the last few years to rejoin the mother party. "If I am at fault anywhere I apologise for the same but we must all unite to defeat the forces who want to weaken the 'Panth', " he asserted. Many party leaders, includin

Haryana has no right on river water from Himachal, says Sukhbir Badal

Badal also warned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann not to be caught napping on this most sensitive issue which concerned the lives and livelihoods of the farmers of Punjab

Electing SAD candidate from Jalandhar will be homage to Parkash: Sukhbir

A victory for Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi in the Lok Sabha bypoll in Jalandhar will be a true homage to Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Sunday. A five-time former chief minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal died on April 25. He had not been keeping well and was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali on April 16. Sukhbir Singh Badal was addressing a public meeting for party candidate Sukhi, who has received backing from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), in Goraya. This was the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief's first public address for the bypoll since his father's death. "I want to request the (SAD and BSP) workers that, by ensuring victory (for Sukhi) in this battle (bypoll), it will be a true tribute to our leader Sardar Parkash Singh Badal," he said. The SAD workers will then ensure victory for the BSP candidate from the Banga seat, he further said. Sukhi, who is currently the MLA from the Banga assembly constituency, will

SC directs states, UTs to register cases against those making hate speech

From quashing proceedings against Parkash Singh Badal in a forgery case to hearing Delhi Police's response in WFI row, here are some of the important cases that were heard by the court today

Parkash Singh Badal cremated at ancestral village; leaders pay respects

Parkash Singh Badal was cremated on Thursday at his ancestral village in Punjab's Muktsar district with thousands of mourners and leaders across the political spectrum paying their last respects to the Akali stalwart and five-time chief minister. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal lit the pyre at the funeral held with full state honours. Badal's mortal remains were taken to the family's farmland around a kilometer from the residence on a flower-decked tractor-trolley with his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and other family members standing with folded hands as the vehicle moved past mourners on the route. Leaders cutting across party lines, including BJP president J P Nadda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, visited Badal village to pay their last respects. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, and former union minister Praful Patel paid homage

Sukhbir Badal sees 'conspiracy' behind 'provocative incidents' in Punjab

Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal demanded a high-level, independent probe, preferably by a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court