Chandigarh, January 31, 2026: Aam Aadmi Party Punjab’s chief spokesperson and Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has raised sharp questions over the presence of Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, Shiromani Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami and other Akali leaders at gangsters’ family functions. He said that while the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is waging a major battle against gangsterism and the drug mafia in Punjab, the Akali Dal is busy maintaining links with gangsters.
Dhaliwal pointed out that at the wedding ceremony of Amritpal Singh Bath’s sister in Amritsar, several senior Akali leaders, including Sukhbir Singh Badal, Virsa Singh Valtoha, Ganieve Kaur Majithia, Ravinder Singh Brahmpura and Shiromani Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami, were seen in attendance. He said these photographs raise serious questions about the intentions and priorities of the Akali Dal leadership. According to him, when the Mann government is determined to eliminate gangsterism, the Akali Dal appears to be nurturing gangsters and building relations with their families.
The AAP leader said that on one hand Sukhbir Badal repeatedly claims that gangsterism is not ending in Punjab, but on the other hand he himself attends weddings of gangsters’ family members. This clearly shows, Dhaliwal said, that Badal’s political strategy revolves around gangsters and that he wants to return to power in Punjab with their support.
Dhaliwal alleged that in the past, the Akali Dal had pushed Punjab’s youth into the furnace of terrorism, and in the same way today it wants to turn the youth into gangsters to fulfil its lust for power. He said that while the Congress was responsible for that dark period, the Akali Dal was equally responsible.
Appealing to the people of Punjab, Dhaliwal said that they must remain alert and cautious about such forces. He stated that earlier Congress and the Akalis together had pushed Punjab into turmoil, and now once again they are trying to spoil the atmosphere by nurturing gangsters.
Dhaliwal asserted that no matter what these parties do, the Aam Aadmi Party government is firmly committed to completely eradicating gangsterism and the drug mafia from Punjab.
