Ludhiana, May 28– Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday spearheaded a large-scale protest outside the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) office, opposing alleged and acquisition practices by the Punjab Government and demanding protection of jobs and property rights for Punjabis.
The dharna drew the participation of senior SAD leaders, including Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Daljit Singh Cheema, and Parupkar Singh Ghumman, the party’s bypoll candidate for the West Ludhiana constituency.
Addressing the crowd, Badal lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership, accusing them of selling out Punjab’s resources and opportunities to non-residents. “Punjab is our home, but outsiders – referring to Arvind Kejriwal – are being allowed to loot Punjab and its people. It is our duty to save Punjab from such outsiders,” he declared.
Badal alleged that despite AAP’s claims of providing 40,000 government jobs in Punjab, “over 50 percent of these were given to candidates from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan,” while local youth were left out. “If Punjabis are not allowed to get government jobs in Himachal Pradesh, then Punjab must adopt a similar policy and reserve jobs for its own people,” he added.
The SAD chief further asserted that if the party is voted back to power in 2027, it would introduce legislation to prevent the sale of land in Punjab to non-residents. “If Punjabis cannot purchase land in Himachal Pradesh, then why should outsiders be allowed to buy land in Punjab?” he asked.
Taking a swipe at the state government, Badal claimed that Punjab’s governance was being run remotely by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. “Bhagwant Mann is only the CM in name. Even inauguration plaques carry Kejriwal’s name in bold while Mann’s name is barely visible,” he said, mocking the current administration.
The protest marks a sharpened stance by SAD against the AAP-led government, placing land rights and local employment at the center of its political messaging ahead of the 2027 state elections.
