A massive gathering marked a rally of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal at Koomkalan on Saturday, with more than 10,000 supporters from nearby areas attending the event.Party workers had reportedly hired more than 200 buses to ferry workers to the venue. Senior leaders of the party were present on the occasion.Addressing the gathering, Sahnewal constituency leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon said the rally reflected the continuing support for the party despite it being out of power for nine years. He called for “Punjab Bachao” and alleged that the state needed to be “saved” from the present ruling government.Dhillon described it as: “Ek hi ullu kaafi tha barbaad gulistaan karne ko, har shaakh pe ullu baitha hai, anjaam-e-gulistaan kya hoga.” (One owl was enough to ruin the whole garden, now when an owl sits on every branch, what will happen to the garden).Criticising the government, Dhillon said that Punjab was being pushed into darkness and alleged rising crime and corruption in government departments.Another senior SAD leader, Maheshinder Grewal, said that Badal had crossed tough tests and had fought every battle from the front. If people wished to save Punjab, he said, Badal was the only option.Grewal also raised slogans, “Punjab bajawange, takkri jitawange” and “Takht badal deo, baimaana da raaj badal deo”.Sukhbir Badal began his address with “Waheguru Ji da Khalsa, Waheguru Ji di Fateh.”He said that when India gained independence in 1947, people had dreamt of progress. He said voters continued to exercise their franchise every five years with the hope that a government which understands their aspirations would come to power.Referring to the division of Punjab and Haryana in 1966, Badal said nearly 60 years had passed since then. During this period, he claimed, the Congress ruled the state for about 25 years, after which Parkash Singh Badal served as Chief Minister, and now this “malang” Chief Minister has come to power.He described the 22-year tenure of Parkash Badal as a “golden period” for Punjab, claiming that major development projects—thermal plants, dams, airports and four-lane highways—were realised during that time.He added that initiatives related to agriculture, river management, 13.5 lakh tubewell connections and underground power cables were also undertaken during Badal’s tenure.Badal further said that schemes such as meritorious schools, the Shagun scheme, pension programmes and expansion of road infrastructure were also implemented during that period. Urging people not to “experiment again”, he appealed to voters to save Punjab and choose their Chief Minister wisely.He referred to remarks made by other leaders, saying Charanjit Singh Channi had once said he could weave beds, while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had claimed he could repair punctured bicycles.“If you want progress for Punjab, this ‘daas’ stands at your doorstep,” he said, adding that if people instead wanted bicycles punctured or beds woven, they could choose Channi or Mann.