Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday said his party remained a permanent partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
File image of Sukhbir Singh Badal. AFP
File image of Sukhbir Singh Badal. AFP
"The SAD is a permanent ally of the BJP and the NDA," he told reporters after BBJP President Amit Shah's meeting in Chandigarh with top Akali Dal leaders, including party patriarch Parkash Singh Badal.
Sukhbir Singh Badal said SAD members had discussed with Shah the strategy for the 2019 parliamentary polls.
The SAD is a key partner in the BJP-led NDA, and the two parties shared power in Punjab before the Congress won the February 2017 Assembly elections.
Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday appealed to BJP allies in the NDA to come together to contest next year's general elections. "The time has come for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," he said. "All NDA allies must come together to fight the Opposition."
After the meeting, Shah tweeted: "It is always a delight to meet Badal Sahab. Met Shri Parkash Singh Badal ji and Sukhbir at his home in Chandigarh."
Later, Shah also held a meeting with the Punjab BJP unit to discuss election strategy for 2019.
The BJP chief was on a day-long visit to Chandigarh as part of his party's outreach programme 'Sampark for Samarthan' (contact for support) ahead of the 2019 elections. On Wednesday, he met Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai.
Senior SAD leaders and MPs Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Balwinder Singh Bhundar and Ranjit Singh Brahmpura also met Shah. Party leaders Daljeet Singh Cheema and Bikram Singh Majithia also attended the meeting. BJP leaders Madan Mohan Mittal, Manoranjan Kalia, Ashwini Sharma and Rajinder Bhandari were present at the meeting, as well.
File image of BJP President Amit Shah. PTI
File image of BJP President Amit Shah. PTI
Shah is also scheduled to visit 94-year-old hockey legend Balbir Singh and legendary athlete Milkha Singh at their Chandigarh homes later on Thursday.
On his arrival at the Chandigarh airport, Shah was welcomed by BJP members, including Chandigarh BJP President Sanjay Tandon and party leader Swaran Salaria.
The BJP had launched the 'Sampark for Samarthan' exercise to mark the fourth anniversary of the Narendra Modi government on 26 May. The party had said that around 4,000 functionaries, including chief ministers and Union ministers, would contact one lakh people to inform them about the government's achievements.
In August last year, Shah had made a three-day visit to Haryana, where he had held a series of meetings and reviewed projects undertaken by the Manohar Lal Khattar government.
The BJP chief had also visited Chandigarh in May last year.