Ahead of the Assembly polls in Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday said that if voted to power, the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance will have two Deputy Chief Ministers — one from Punjabi Hindus and the other from the Dalit community.
After SAD’s core committee meeting, Mr. Badal said: “We understand that there are external forces which want to disturb the peace of Punjab by pitching communities against each other. We want to guarantee Punjabis that the SAD will continue to follow the policies of Mr. Parkash Singh Badal under which all religions were respected and honoured. We are committed to keeping all communities together and it is with this in mind that the SAD has decided to have a representative from the Hindu community as a Deputy CM once it secures power in Punjab”.
Mr Badal had in April earlier this year announced on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar that the SAD would offer the chair of Deputy CM to a Dalit once voted to power.
The SAD chief said the decision to have two Deputy CMs is symbolic of the strong emotional bonds that bind the different communities together.
