The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command moved to quell growing dissent in its Punjab unit, deputing party observer Satish Poonia to meet the disgruntled leaders and assess the state organisation’s functioning, people familiar with the development said on Sunday.
Punia, who is also the party’s Haryana incharge, has been asked to submit a report on the grievances raised by the party leaders and recommend measures to address them, they added.
The discontent follows the replacement of six district presidents within 12 days of their appointment, the composition of the state president Kewal Singh Dhillon’s core team, and the surprise choice for youth wing chief, causing a major concern for the party ahead of the high-stakes upcoming state assembly polls.
The high command had on Saturday summoned Punjab top brass in New Delhi, and the decision to give Poonia the role of a peacemaker was taken during a meeting between BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Dhillon and state organisation secretary Manthri Srinivasulu.
The meeting also came against the backdrop of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, which triggered speculations about the possibility of a tie-up between the two parties ahead of the upcoming Punjab polls.
{{/usCountry}}The meeting also came against the backdrop of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, which triggered speculations about the possibility of a tie-up between the two parties ahead of the upcoming Punjab polls.
{{/usCountry}}It is learnt that the move to summon Punjab BJP leaders followed an intervention by home minister Amit Shah.
The central leadership is learnt to have expressed strong displeasure over ‘unprecedented’ resentment among the party’s old guard and grassroots workers, and cautioned the Punjab unit against arbitrary decisions ahead of the assembly elections.
The organisational revamp was part of the BJP’s strategy to strengthen its independent political base in Punjab following the collapse of its nearly three-decade alliance with the SAD in September 2020 over the Centre’s now-repealed farm laws. Since then, the party has been working to broaden its support beyond its traditional urban vote bank comprising traders, Hindu voters and sections of the Dalit community.
The BJP’s first solo contest in the 2022 Punjab assembly elections yielded disappointing results, with the party winning only two seats and securing a 6.6% vote share. The SAD also suffered its worst-ever electoral performance, winning just three seats in the 117-member assembly.
According to party leaders, Poonia also questioned the rationale behind some of the organisational changes, pointing out that he himself had been part of the process through which the original appointments were finalised.
“The fact that three of the five general secretaries are from Ludhiana has raised eyebrows within the party, with the central leadership seeking an explanation for the concentration of key organisational posts in one district,” the party leader said, requesting anonymity.
The factionalism within the state unit surfaced on August 3 with senior leaders such as former minister Tikshan Sud expressing displeasure.
Sud, a senior leader from Hoshiarpur, publicly voiced his opposition to the replacement of the party’s district (urban) president Satish Bawa barely two weeks after his appointment. Bawa, considered close to Sud and former Union minister Som Parkash, has been replaced with Nitin Gupta ‘Nannu’, who is considered to be a close aide of former state BJP chief Vijay Sampla. Similar reports emerged from Sangrur, Khanna, Muktsar and Faridkot, where the district presidents were also replaced.
Another contentious decision was the appointment of Anuj Khosla as Punjab BJP Yuva Morcha president, with a large section of the party leaders, particularly from Patiala, opposing the move. Khosla is a former Congress leader who joined the BJP a few years ago.
The public nature of the dissent, particularly through social media, has added to the central leadership’s concerns.
“What was worrying the party most is that senior leaders like former minister Sud had openly criticised the state organisation secretary for damaging the party’s prospects,” the leader added.
Dhillon said detailed discussions on the party’s future roadmap, keeping in mind Punjab’s key issues of agriculture, youth, border security and urban development, were held in the meeting.
“The party is expanding its base and leaders from other parties are coming forward to join the BJP; such issues are expected to emerge. We will suitably adjust those leaders who were replaced as district presidents within days,” said Dhillon, adding that the issue of outbursts by some party leaders was also discussed during the meeting.
The Punjab BJP chief added that Poonia was already guiding the state unit on certain issues and he would continue to do so in future.