CHANDIGARH:  The Shiromani Akali Dal Saturday called for re-casting the country's constitutional and political framework along genuinely federal lines, with greater fiscal autonomy and more political powers to the States, in order to fight poverty, illiteracy and economic inequalities in the country.

Prominent Akali leaders like Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, former Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Delhi Akali Dal president, Manjit Singh GK, former Delhi Akali Chief Avtar Singh Hit and General Secretary Onkar Singh Thapar addressed the rally at New Delhi that lasted nearly three hours.

The turn out at the rally saw lacs converge on the Jail Road and is believed to be the largest gathering of Punjabis in living history. The massive show of strength enthused the party leaders and rank and file and the tone and tenor of the gathering was reflected in the politically significant declarations made from the stage which portend the emergence of new political trends on the national scene in the days to come. The rally assumes significance in view of the forthcoming elections to the Delhi state assembly as well as the Lok Sabha poll.

Addressing the mammoth Rally, the Punjab Chief Minister  Parkash Singh Badal and the SAD President  Sukhbir Singh Badal declared that regional parties including SAD would play a decisive role in the formation of the next Government at the center. The Chief Minister declared that his party would contest the forthcoming assembly poll in Delhi as well as the Lok Sabha elections on the party symbol. "Punjabis constitute over sixty per cent of the population in the capital and have a legitimate democratic right to hold he reigns of administration here. Although our alliance with the N.D.A. is solid and inviolable, the party would like to strengthen this alliance through a direct mobilization of Punjabis all over the country."

The Chief Minister warned that the all prevalent poverty, unemployment and economic inequalities could destabilize the Indian polity, resulting in grave law and order problems.  He said that there mounting frustration among youth and quick and effective measures were necessary to meet the aspirations of the new generation. Unfortunately, the policy makers in Delhi were woefully out of touch with ground realties in the country.  "You can not govern such a vast country from air-conditioned chambers in New Delhi. The polcies of the present rulers are totally out of sync with the needs of the common man. This has resulted serious economic crises symbolized by prices and inflation hitting record levels," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, the SAD president, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal said that his party would spearhead the campaign for mobilization of regional parties on a national plane. He said that regional imbalances, especially in matters of development and devolution of economic powers, had seen the emergence of two Indias : one that that sleeps on an empty stomach and the other which does not know what to do with its wealth. "These are alarming trends for stability and security of the country and these issues must be addresse4d on an urgent basis." Winds of federal impulse are blowing throughout the country in favour of a just dispensation for regional forces in the country.  The days of totalitarian centrist regimes, as symbolized by the Congress Party, are over.  The future of India lies in the hands of patriotic regional parties like Shiromani Akali Dal," declared Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal at the rally.   He said that highly centralized planning and development processes have resulted in total financial mis-management in the Country, resulting in unprecedented price- rise and inflation   He said that political trends in the country strongly pointed towards decentralization of political and economic structure.

Sukhbir Singh came down heavily against the Congress Party for consistently doing injustice in Punjab and Punjabis in General and the Sikhs in particular.  He said that the Punjabis and the Sikhs had made the highest sacrifices as more than 85 percent of the martyrs and over 90% of those who went to jails during the freedom struggle were Punjabis.   In spite of this the Congress Governments meted out a step-motherly treatment to them, in religious political, economic and other spheres.

The SAD President called upon Delhi-its Punjabis to guard and preserve their Punjabi identity and to remain rooted in their cultural and religious moorings. He bemoaned that even more than two decades after Punjabis suffered an unspeakable tragedy in November 1984, the Delhi as well as the Union governments have refused to address their basic concerns about punishing the guilty and providing relief and compensation to the hapless victims. He said that Punjabi language and culture also continued to be subjected to utter neglect by the powers that be. "However, we are determined to change things and for this, we have decided to mobilize all Punjabis on a common platform."