"Planned Political Conspiracy": Harsimrat Kaur On Attack On Sukhbir Badal

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Saturday termed the attack on her husband and party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal a "well-planned political conspiracy" and said whoever was behind it could not be called a Sikh.

Badal sustained injuries to his right hand in a 'kirpan' (ceremonial dagger) attack by a member of the Nihang order inside a gurdwara on the outskirts of Maharashtra's Nanded town on Thursday. The attacker was later arrested.

Addressing a conference organised in memory of Karnail Singh Isru of the Goa Liberation Movement at Isru village in Punjab's Khanna, the former Union minister turned emotional while recounting the attack on her husband.

"I am sorry, I am very emotional today. Because the last 48 hours have been very difficult for me and my family. I was not supposed to be here today; Sukhbir ji had to be here. But see what they did to him," Kaur said.

"Sukhbir ji was attacked when he was offering prayers at one of the holiest shrines of Sikhs, praying for Punjab's peace and prosperity. Whoever attacked him cannot be a Sikh and is a 'Guru Dokhi' (anti-Guru)," she said.

"This second attack on Sukhbir ji in two years is part of a well-planned political conspiracy, hatched since 2015, to disrupt peace in Punjab," she claimed.

Badal escaped an attempt on his life at the Golden Temple entrance in December 2024.

Every time the Akali Dal works to preserve Punjab's peace and harmony, the "Guru Dokhis" work even harder to spread hatred. But they will not be able to break Sukhbir ji's resolve, Kaur said.

His determination has only grown stronger. He told me to hold the fort in his place today. This is his commitment to Punjab and his resolve to protect Punjab, the former Union minister said.

Badal was discharged from the hospital in Nanded on Friday and admitted to the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram for surgery.

While leaving the Nanded hospital, Badal said some forces were trying to disturb peace in Punjab and the country and viewed his party as a "hindrance" to their mission.

He said he would never allow "anti-national and anti-Punjab forces" to take control of the situation in Punjab or disturb peace in the state.