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Amid SAD-BJP alliance buzz, BJP general secretary BL Santosh meets Punjab leaders
SAD had been part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) since 1996 and had walked out of the alliance in 2020, in the wake of the farm agitation against the Centre’s three contentious agri laws. The BJP, at that time, had termed it as a step taken in haste
Amid reports of hectic back-room parleys going on between Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the saffron party general secretary BL Santosh held a series of meetings with the state unit, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and other right-wing factions.
On the face of it, Santosh, who is on an all-India tour firming up the party’s strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, was in the city to take feedback on the party’s chances and discuss the role of all the right-wing factions in the elections, but a party insider, who was privy to the meetings on the condition of anonymity said the issue of alliance with SAD did come up.
SAD had been part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) since 1996 and had walked out of the alliance in 2020, in the wake of the farm agitation against the Centre’s three contentious agri laws. The BJP, at that time, had termed it as a step taken in haste.
Santosh, on Friday, held marathon meetings with the Punjab leadership of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and the state unit.
State BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, general secretaries of state unit, national general secretary Tarun Chugh, Union minister Som Parkash, former MP Avinash Rai Khanna, chairman national minorities Iqbal Singh Lalpura, senior BJP leader Rajinder Mohan Chinna were also present in the meeting.
According to party insiders, Santosh met various organisations, which are off-shoots of RSS for four hours and later in the evening chaired a meeting of senior BJP leaders.
“Even as the thrust of the meeting was on discussing the role of all right-wing organisations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the issue of possibilities of party’s prospects of fighting alone or in alliance with the SAD was also discussed,” said a senior BJP leader, who didn’t wish to be named.
To a question by a Punjab BJP leader about the clarity on alliance with SAD, Santosh is learnt to have asked the state leadership to wait for a few more days for clarity.
“Clear instructions were to not to leave any stone unturned keeping in mind the general elections,” the above-quoted BJP leader said.
The RSS state leadership, meanwhile, it is learnt, has given specific feedback about the functioning of the state unit of the party and where it stands among the public as far as its prospects are concerned in upcoming general elections.
The Akali Dal, smarting under the crushing defeat in the 2022 assembly polls, is keen on ‘resurrecting’ the Panthic party, and its present alliance with the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has failed to get the desired results. SAD and BSP contested the 2022 assembly polls in alliance, but the Akali Dal was able to manage a win on three seats in the 117-strong state assembly.
