Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is spearheading the BJP’s political campaign in poll-bound Punjab, on Monday ruled out any possibility of an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the state.Replying to media queries, he said, “The alliance of the BJP is with people of Punjab.” He also claimed that the saffron party is forming the next government in Punjab.On SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, the Haryana Chief Minister said PM Modi represents 140 crore people of India and could meet anyone.Expressing surprise that the meeting had led to speculation about an alliance, Saini said some people had started celebrating the development as “finally time has been given”.Though Saini ruled out the possibility of an alliance, Badal’s meeting with PM Modi is significant as the Punjab Assembly elections are only months away.The SAD and BJP were alliance partners for more than two decades and jointly governed Punjab for three terms — from 1997 to 2002, 2007 to 2012, and 2012 to 2017.Their 23-year alliance officially ended in September 2020 following differences over the Centre’s three farm laws.Relations between the two parties deteriorated during the farmers’ agitation, with the SAD initially supporting the farm legislation before opposing it and demanding its repeal.The Akali Dal subsequently walked out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and both parties contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections separately, suffering heavy electoral losses.Meanwhile, Saini also targeted the AAP government on Monday. He said the Bhagwant Mann-led government had surpassed even the Congress in corruption.He also took a swipe at the ‘Mawan Dhiyan’ scheme, saying that on the one hand, Punjab was giving cash to women close to the election, while on the other, benefits such as widow pensions to the same women had been stopped.