Khaira to contest from Bathinda

Punjab legislator and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira will contest from Bathinda constituency, which is presently represented by Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Khaira, who formed the Punjabi Ekta Party (PEP) after quitting the AAP in January, challenged Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Badal for an open debate to discuss the burning issues of the state.

Khaira's candidature was announced on Saturday by former AAP leader and MP Dharamvira Gandhi, who is a member of the Punjab Democratic Alliance. The PDA comprises of the PEP, Bahujan Samaj Party, Lok Insaaf Party, Gandhi-led Punjab Manch, Communist Party of India and the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India.

"Both the Badal and Amarinder families are responsible for the current pitiable situation of Punjab, which is under a colossal debt of Rs 2.5 lakh crore," Khaira told reporters. Harsimrat Badal is the wife of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The Bholath MLA trashed the claims of Harsimrat Badal that the SAD had done a lot of development for Bathinda area, saying that they took "huge amounts" of public money as commission.

The former leader of Opposition in the Assembly said he hoped that the people of Bathinda would extend support to him to "liberate" the state from the clutches of "corrupt feudal families" of Badals and Amarinder.

The PEP chief promised to leave no stone unturned to fight the burning issues of Punjab, such as farmers' suicides, drug menace, unemployment and discrimination against the state's industries by the successive central governments.

Meanwhile, Gandhi said he was very sure that Khaira would put up a very strong fight in the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, especially to expose the "anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh" role of the Badal family.

Punjab has 13 parliamentary seats and it will go to polls in a single phase on May 19.