The Akali Dal Waris Punjab De on Thursday sounded the poll bugle for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections, seeking to enter the ‘Panthic space’ long dominated by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).The top leadership of the party held a ‘Panthic get-together’ in Bhadson, under the Patiala Rural Assembly constituency, and addressed workers and supporters, highlighting several issues being faced by the community and the state. The event was organised by Satwinder Singh Tohra, a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).Party leaders laid out their agenda: securing victory in the Punjab Assembly elections and subsequently launching a struggle to “liberate” the SGPC from the controlling interests.Addressing the rally, MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali alleged that anti-Panthic forces had taken control of the SGPC, calling it the collective responsibility of the Sikh community.“Although the party’s primary focus remained on the upcoming Assembly poll, it could not remain a mute spectator to arbitrary decisions and irregularities within the SGPC,” he said.Tarsem Singh, father of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, said, “Fake police encounters, young people dying due to drug addiction and the growing menace of extortion demands by gangsters had created a disturbing situation across the state,” adding that no concrete steps had been taken to curb these issues.He criticised the SAD, asserting that while it was formed by the Panth to guide the community according to Sikh values, it had deviated from those principles due to its greed for political power.He said Akali Dal Waris Punjab De had emerged to fulfil this objective.“Our doors are open for alliances with like-minded political parties sharing similar principles and objectives,” he said.In his address, Tohra referred to significant events in Sikh history.He said the time had come for the Sikh Panth to explore new political alternatives and chart a fresh course to protect Punjab from forces working against the interests of Punjabis and Sikhs.