Jalandhar (Punjab) [India], March 14 (ANI): Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and claimed that AAP will be in the fourth position in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Sukhbir Singh Badal said, "I was listening to Kejriwal's statement yesterday. He is so clever. When he first saw a favourable atmosphere for AAP, he said "Ek mauka do Kejriwal ko." He took the credit. Then, when he came to know that the useless government and CM have done such damage, he said that the next campaigning would be done in the name of Bhagwant Mann. See the difference. This shows that he has accepted that the candidates will lose their deposits. You will see that AAP will be in the fourth position."

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He alleged that Kejriwal has an anti-Sikh mindset and this was one of the reasons for not supporting the CAA.

He further said that, "Kejriwal has an anti-Sikh and anti-minority mindset. Shiromani Akali Dal had been saying from the beginning that Sikhs from Pakistan and Afghanistan have faced a lot of problems there. Several of them have come here over the past several years. We have been saying that they should be granted (Indian) citizenship. We supported CAA at the Parliament too. I knew of Kejrwal's anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh mindset from the beginning. These things are coming to light gradually."

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CM Kejriwal said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has failed to answer any questions related to providing employment and housing to migrants that he had raised on the newly notified Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which will give citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

On March 11, the Union Home Ministry notified rules for the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), days ahead of the announcement of dates of the Lok Sabha elections.

CAA aims to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians - who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014.

On a question of alliance between BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal, Badal said that SAD would contest on all 13 seats and alliance with the BJP was not confirmed yet.

Badal said, "Neither I nor the BJP or anyone else knows knows about the alliance. This speculation is on social media, media. At the moment, we are contesting on all 13 seats. We have an alliance with the BSP. I am not ruling out. Like-minded parties that want to save Punjab are most welcome. We can't go with Congress or 'broom' (AAP)." (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)