Leader of Opposition and NDA’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani on Monday showered praise on ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and recalled contributions of the Akalis in the rise of the BJP.

Turning the pages of history and praising the Akalis for sailing and sinking first with the Jan Sangh and then BJP, Advani said it was their coalition (in 1960s) that set the tone for the alliance politics in the country that every one talks about today.

“We first formed the Government with the help of Sant Fateh Singh with Justice Gurnam Singh as chief minister in Punjab in 1969,” said Advani at an impressive rally here organised by former minister and local Akali MLA Bikram Singh Majithia in favour of SAD-BJP candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu.

He said it was only the NDA that could take India to the 21st century. “Today is a historic day. It was on this day (May 11) that we conducted nuclear test in Pokhran to take India into the nuclear club of the world. It is we who can take India to new heights,” Advani said amid chants of ‘Bole So Nihal’ from the crowd.

He also recalled how NDA’s main constituent SAD contributed immensely in the fight for restoring democracy during imposition of Emergency.

“All political bigwigs, including Parkash Singh Badal, Jai Prakash Narayan and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, were in jails and we all struggled to restore democracy. Thousands of SAD(B) workers courted arrest for this purpose,” Advani said. He lashed out at the Congress for halting all projects and proposals started by the NDA, which, he said made Punjab suffer immensely.

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