The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday demanded that Parliament immediately pass the women’s reservation and delimitation Bills to ensure “fair and equitable” increase in seats for all states.The party made the demand a day after its president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, leaving political circles abuzz with talk of a patch-up with former ally BJP.Sukhbir today met his senior party colleagues, including Gulzar Singh Ranike, Sikander Singh Maluka, Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Maheshinder Singh Grewal and MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, in Chandigarh. He, however, remained tight-lipped on what transpired during his meeting with PM Modi.”The Shiromani Akali Dal supported the proposal which was put up by the Government of India on the floor of the House for a uniform increase of 50 per cent of seats of all states. The party emphasised that women reservation and delimitation should be done immediately,” Sukhbir said in a post on X.In April, Sukhbir had claimed that the Centre’s proposed move on population-based delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, “under the garb of women’s reservation, was highly discriminatory against Punjab”. He had then also said his party was strongly in favour of women’s reservation, but firmly opposed using it as a “camouflage for delimitation”.On the women’s reservation issue, Sukhbir said, “The Shiromani Akali Dal draws inspiration from the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, who championed the dignity, equality and equal rights of women.” He said the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee “had already set an example by providing for women’s reservation in its House”.Speaking after the meeting, SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said that the decision on the two pending issues was taken at the meeting attended by all senior leaders.Replying to a question, Cheema said, “We have not opposed the delimitation. We wanted that those states which have controlled population as per national family norms should not be put to any disadvantage.”The Akali Dal had left the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) six years ago citing differences over the three farm laws, which now stand repealed.