Why Sukhbir Badal’s reading of Modi’s ‘Akali’ remark has created a storm

PM Narendra Modi referred to 'Akali Dal' during his Punjab rally, but SAD chief Sukhbir Badal said the remark targeted another Akali faction. (File Photo)Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Punjab was intended to highlight the Centre’s development agenda, with projects worth around ₹5,470 crore inaugurated or dedicated to the state. Yet, much of the political discussion that followed centred not on the projects but on a brief remark the Prime Minister made about the Akali Dal, and more significantly, on how Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal interpreted it. While Modi referred simply to “Akali Dal” during his address in Jalandhar, Sukhbir Badal later maintained that the criticism was not aimed at the Shiromani Akali Dal but at another Akali faction. His inte