Ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary elections, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will begin ‘Punjab Bachao Yatra’ (Save Punjab Yatra). The announcement was made by senior party leader and former cabinet minister Diljit Singh Cheema on Friday during a media briefing.
Announcement
The Yatra will be state-wide from the Indo-Pak border in Attari to Talwandi Sabo in the Bathinda district, covering a total of 43 constituencies. And in the second phase of Yatra, the remaining constituencies will be covered which can be expected in April. On 1st Feb, the Yatra will start and last for a month till 28th Feb. SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal will lead the Yatra with other senior members of the party.
Panjab Bachao Yatra’s Aim
SAD claims to be a Sikh-centric party, so focusing on Sikh issues, they are planning to highlight the past 
achievements of the party in the development of Punjab during the Yatra. The Yatra being a part of the election campaign for the upcoming election, the failures of Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (APP) will be highlighted by the party. The party leader and former cabinet minister Diljit Singh Cheema stated “Both the earlier Congress government and present AAP government betrayed Punjabis by going back on all the promises made by them besides failing to undertake any development, employment or improving the conditions of farmers, traders or weaker section of society.” Adding to this, the party President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticized AAP in his tweets.
Party’s Desperation
In September 2020, SAD left the BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) over the farm bill, complaining that both Congress and BJP are not supporters of federalism. After SAD’s poor performance in the previous election, it appears to be desperate. In the Punjab Legislative Assembly election of 2022, it won only two seats and its 
alliance Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won only one. While its opposition party AAP gained a strong majority of 79 percent by winning 92 out of 117 seats.
The party President, Sukhbir Singh Badal, expressed gratitude and praised the BJP for encouraging the Hindu Bhaichara (Hindu brotherhood) in a tweet shared by him after receiving an invitation for “Shri Ram Janambhoomi Pran Pratishtha” at Ayodhya. This gives a hint of an alliance of SAD and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before this year’s Lok Sabha election. This yatra will be a second yatra by a political party after Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra for political benefits.
SAD is trying to get the support of both the Sikh and Hindu communities before the elections by focusing on both the problems of Sikhs and by talking about Hindu Bhaichara. A good example of political opportunism.
