SAD asks Governor, ECI to probe ‘misuse of public funds’ for AAP rally in Moga

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has urged Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria as well as the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take note of the alleged use of government funds to hold an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rally at Killi Chehlan in Moga on Monday.

In a statement here, senior SAD leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the AAP was playing deceitful politics by linking its rally with the government’s ‘Yudh Nashain Virudh’ scheme, even though its purpose was to blow the bugle for its election campaign for the 2027 Assembly elections. “Government funds were not only used to ferry people to the rally, but the entire cost of the event has also been charged to the government, despite the fact that the rally was presided over by AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and the Delhi leadership of the party, which has no role in governance in Punjab,” he added.

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Terming this kind of politics shameful, Dr Cheema said the rally also witnessed purely political speeches and the levelling of wild allegations against political opponents. He urged both the Governor and the ECI to initiate the process of recovering the entire amount spent on the rally from the AAP, as it was held against norms and could not qualify as a government event.

The SAD leader also condemned the manner in which the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police were allegedly made to address a political rally. He said this would result in the politicisation of the state bureaucracy and was not good for democracy. “Tomorrow, the AAP government may force district-level officers to address political rallies and become part and parcel of the party,” he said, adding that free and fair elections could not be expected in such a situation.