Himself a district general secretary of the ruling Akali Dal, Paprala said the nomination of Barjinder Singh Hamdard in the Rajya Sabha and representation of Tara Singh in the Assembly from among the Saini community reflected the Akali Dal's "pro-minority perceptions".

Paprala hoped that the Saini community will en block support the SAD-BJP candidates in Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Roopnagar and Patiala. In Hoshiarpur constituency, of which Roopnagar city is a part, the Saini community accounts for 1.6 lakh votes, he added.