With months to go before the state elections, Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Sunday paid obeisance at Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Jalandhar and sought the blessings of the dera head, Sant Niranjan Dass, who was recently conferred with the Padma Shri.
On the occasion, Dhillon held a special interaction with Sant Niranjan Dass and congratulated him on receiving the prestigious Padma Shri award.
Speaking to the media, Dhillon sought the resignation of Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann amid the Akal Takht row, alleged that the AAP government had failed to curb the drug menace, and referred to the infighting within the state Congress as “kato klesh" (domestic feuds), which he said he had already predicted.
Dhillon also paid respects at the statue of 108 Sant Shri Sarwan Dass.
Prominent BJP leaders who accompanied Dhillon included former MLA and CPS Avinash Chander Kler, former Union Minister Som Parkash, former Punjab BJP President Vijay Sampla, S.R. Ladhar, Rajesh Bagha, Sushil Rinku, Sheetal Angural, and Inder Iqbal Atwal, among others.
Speaking on the occasion, Dhillon expressed confidence that, with the blessings of Sant Niranjan Dass, the Bharatiya Janata Party would form the government in Punjab in the 2027 Assembly elections.
He added that the party remains committed to the welfare and upliftment of the underprivileged, and that any guidance received from the revered spiritual institution for the betterment of the poor and Dalit communities would be sincerely respected and implemented.
Addressing the media, Dhillon said, “Today we have come to seek the blessings of Sant Niranjan Dass Ji and offered ardas (prayer) for the betterment of Punjab, Punjabiyat, and Punjabis."
Speaking on the state government’s anti-sacrilege law, Dhillon said, “Sri Akal Takht Sahib is the highest temporal authority of the Sikhs. The Chief Minister has unnecessarily picked a fight with the Akal Takht, making excuses about height and masks. I would just ask him: CM Sahib, you must resign. There is nothing greater than the Akal Takht. Apologise and accept the directives of the Akal Takht."
He further said, “People have made up their minds for the BJP in 2027. They have seen that the fight for the chair is ongoing within the Congress. I had predicted ‘kato klesh’ (a Punjabi term referring to domestic feuds) within the Congress, and that is exactly what happened. People have seen Congress, AAP, and the Akalis. They know the BJP is the only hope."
On the drug issue, Dhillon said, “Before the elections, Arvind Kejriwal had promised the people of Punjab that drugs would be eradicated from the state within three months. But even after four and a half years, a large number of youth are falling prey to drug abuse, and the government’s ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign has completely failed. The arrest of the Deputy Superintendent of Hoshiarpur Jail, along with the open sale of drugs inside prisons, reflects the government’s failure."
Asked when the Prime Minister would visit Jalandhar and Punjab, Dhillon said, “I don’t know about that. But Modi Sahib loves Punjab. Whenever he comes, he always wishes that, like the other states where the BJP is in power, Punjab too should become rangla (vibrant) and prosperous."
