No intentions to leave SAD: Manpreet

"I am a born Akali and my conscience and soul will remain with the Akalis," he said.

Sacked Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said he was a born Akali and had no intentions to leave the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Addressing a public meeting of his supporters on his home turf here,he also declared he would not resign as SAD MLA.

“I am a born Akali and my conscience and soul will remain with the Akalis,” Manpreet told the meeting at Gurdwara Gupatsar.

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He said he would continue to serve the people of his Gidderbaha constituency in Muktsar district from where he was elected MLA four times.

Fortyeight-year-old Manpreet,nephew of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,was axed from the SAD-BJP government on October 13 following a raging row over Centre’s reported debt waiver offer to the state.

Manpreet’s father Gurdas Singh Badal was also present at the meeting which was addressed among others by loyalist MLA Rajbir Singh.

Later,Manpreet told reporters that the Chief Minister had appreciated his speech and thumped the table when he had spoken about the loan waiver offer on the floor of the state assembly,

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He appealed to the SAD-BJP government to take up the the issue with the Centre.

To reach out to the people,Manpreet is also scheduled to address public meetings at Jalandhar,Amritsar,Ludhiana,Bathinda and other places.