"Country is for everyone": NDA member Akali Dal decides not to contest Delhi polls, not to change its stance on CAA

NEW DELHI: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), an old ally of BJP, on Monday said to have decided not to contest the Delhi assembly elections as it was not ready to give up its stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

"SAD and BJP have an old relationship, but after the stand taken by Sukhbir Singh Badal on the CAA, which is to include the people from all religions, the BJP leadership wanted us to reconsider this stance. So, we decided to not fight these polls instead of changing our stand," SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa told reporters here.

"The SAD also believes that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) should not be implemented. We welcomed the CAA but we never demanded that any religion be excluded from this Act," added Sirsa.

"We strongly believe that no one should fall in line to prove his or her forefathers' credentials. This country is for everyone," he said.

Delhi unit BJP president Manoj Tiwari along with Union Minister and state election in-charge Prakash Javadekar announced its allies for the ensuing Assembly polls on Monday, the name of SAD was conspicuously missing from the list of allies.

In a first, the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to accommodate Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party in the ensuing Delhi assembly elections. The BJP is yet to announce its candidates for 10 seats.

The nomination process for the Delhi assembly polls will conclude on January 21. The polling will take place on February 8. The result will be declared on February 11.