Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has hired Dilip Cherian's firm Perfect Relations to look after his interests in media circles, particularly in New Delhi.

It is not the first time that he has hired the services of Perfect Relations, Cherian told rediff.com from Mumbai on Monday.

"We have been working with the Badal family for a while. In fact, soon after he took over as the chief minister of Punjab in 1997 he hired our services for various project," he said.

Cherian said it is a long-term contract that they have signed, but refused to give financial details.

"The money is roughly Rs 2.5 lakh per month, and if it runs into one year or two years you can calculate the sum total," a close aide of the Badal family told rediff.com

Top Akali leaders are upset because they feel that the contract is a drain on party funds.

"We could have fought this battle on our own and as far as the media is concerned, the publicity would have come automatically since the case of corruption involves a former chief minister," said an Akali leader.

Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is also using a PR firm (4^th Estate, which is owned by Sunil Khosla) in his propaganda war against Badal and his family, who have been charged with owning assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

Talking to newsmen in New Delhi, Badal released a 21-point charter against Captain Singh.

He plans to launch an all out offensive against the Congress government of Punjab on July 16 from Manji Saheb outside the Golden Temple complex.

On the same day he and Gurcharan Singh Tohra will address a rally for the first time after the two Akali factions came together last month.