A day after Amit Shah, Shiromani Akali Dal leadership meets Narendra Modi

Just a day after meeting BJP president Amit Shah in Chandigarh the top leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday and emphasized that the BJPAkali Dal alliance in Punjab was durable and timetestedThe meeting with the Prime Minister assumes significance in view of some of the allies of the BJPled National Democratic Alliance NDA openly criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Partys BJPs attitudeThe Akali Dal on Thursday reiterated its alliance with the BJP for the 2019 general electionsIt urged the BJP leadership to ensure that minorities feel safe under the NDA rule and that the Sikh community Punjab and its farmers get their duesThe Prime Minister at the very outset expressed his profound appreciation of the fact the Shiromani Akali Dal is the oldest and the most dependable ally of the BJP in the entire country a press statement of the Akali Dal in Chandigarh statedThis is the oldest the most durable and timetested alliance and the BJP profoundly values it The alliance signifies the social and political consensus in Punjab and elsewhere and is a symbol of peace and communal harmony throughout the country especially in Punjab it quoted the Prime Minister as sayingBesides Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal the Akali Dal delegation comprised Sukhdev Sigh Dhindsa Ranjit Singh Brahampura Balwinder Singh Bhunder Union Cabinet Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal MP Prem Singh Chandumajra and Delhi Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh SirsaThe president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Gobind Singh Longowal and Manjit Singh GK also attended the meetingThe Akali Dal delegation thanked Modi for the Union governments unprecedented and decisive initiative in exempting Langar from the GSTThe delegation expressed its wholehearted appreciation for the fact that the decision on exemption on all purchases for Guru ka Langar for all Gurdwara Sahibaan throughout the country was a first ever initiative of its kind by the Government of India since Independence the statement saidThe Akali Dal leadership also urged the Prime Minister to expedite the implementation of the Swaminathan Report by which the farmers would be ensured a profit margin of 50 per cent over and above the costs incurred by themThe delegation also asked the Prime Minister to set up a National Committee under his own chairmanship to ensure that the 550th Parkash Utsav birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev is celebrated as a major national eventIt urged Modi to ensure that all Sikh and Punjab detainees languishing in jails even after completing their sentence in many cases lasting 20 years should be immediately releasedKeeping them in custody after the expiry of their sentence is both illegal and immoral the party statement saidCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever