Akalis to contest for Assembly

Shiromani Akali Dal would field its candidates for the ensuing Vidhan Sabha elections in Delhi and they would fight these elections in alliance with BJP, Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Friday. Mr Badal said that after its sterling performance in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Elections, the SAD has consolidated its vote bank outside Punjab and was ready to expand its area of activity. He said that the Akali Dal may also field its candidates for Lok Sabha polls from Haryana and Delhi but no final decision has been taken at the party level regarding Lok Sabha elections. He said that going by the eroding credibility of the UPA government, there was possibility of General Elections before December. When asked about Manpreet Badal’s pronouncement regarding joining hands with Congress, Mr Badal said that it was forgone conclusion regarding his collusion with them the moment he resigned from SAD. He described his announcement as inconsequential as “zero plus zero” would always remain zero. On the question of FDI, Mr Badal said that FDI should be allowed keeping in view the requirement of each sector and there should not be blanket permission for opening the floodgates of FDI. He described Food Security Bill as a copycat phenomena.