SAD looks to resurrect its core strength – ‘panth’ & peasantry
With possibilities of a tie-up between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) laid to rest, the latter sees it a chance to resurrect its core strength --- the ‘panth’ and farmers
Chandigarh : With possibilities of a tie-up between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) laid to rest, the latter sees it a chance to resurrect its core strength --- the ‘panth’ and farmers.
This will be the first time since 1996 that the BJP and the SAD, one of the oldest constituents of the NDA which parted ways over the 2020-21 farm law protests, will be fighting the Lok Sabha polls alone in the state.
The alliance talks between the two parties failed over seat sharing and SAD’s demands concerning the ‘Panth’ and farmers, the core vote bank of the party. While the BJP wanted five of the 13 seats, the Akalis were ready to give only three, said people familiar with the matter.
The other demands of the SAD included release of Sikh prisoners who had completed their jail terms, shifting radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh from Assam’s Dibrugarh jail to Punjab, withdrawal of cases against farmers lodged during the 2020 protests, assurances on minimum support price for crops, no interference in religious affairs and institutions of the ‘Panth’, as a pre-requisite for the alliance.
Sensing that these demands could not be addressed at this stage with the model code of conduct coming into force, the party called a meeting of core committee, the party’s top decision-making body, three days ago.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said for his party, “principles are more important than the number game” as he slammed the national parties for “playing politics” over votes.
Reacting to the BJP’s decision to contest Lok Sabha polls in Punjab on its own, Sukhbir said: “The SAD is not an ordinary political party. It is a party of principles. The 103-year-old SAD’s responsibility was to protect “qaum” (community), Punjab, and maintain brotherhood and peace in the state. The Akali Dal was not formed to just form the government.”
“We are the largest democratic representative organisation of farmers and have always led the fight for their rights from the front and introduced historic measures in governments for their welfare,” he added.
The SAD and BJP shared an alliance for 24 years from 1996 to 2020 and had a stable coalition government in Punjab for three terms 1997, 2007 and 2012, and share at the Centre for the Akali Dal when the BJP formed governments in 1999, 2014 and 2019.
The SAD snapped ties with the BJP in 2020 over the passage of three contentious farm bills, days after the party’s lone minister in the Union government, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, resigned over what the party said were “anti-farmer” laws.
After severing ties with BJP, SAD contested the state polls of 2022 forging a pre-poll alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but could win only three seats in 117-member House. Last month, the Mayawati-led party parted ways with the SAD over speculation of the Akalis forging an alliance with the BJP.
“The Lok Sabha election results will crystalise where the SAD and BJP stand. After Friday’s resolution passed by our party, there is a groundswell for us and it is to be seen how many gets translated into votes,” said SAD’s vice-president Naresh Gujral.
Experts say in this scenario, it is going to be a challenge for Sukhbir to win over Sikh electorate and also make inroads into the Hindu-dominated belts of the state. Political experts predict division in Sikh electorate and Hindus siding with the BJP in the polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab on June 1.
The SAD may say it is targeting the 2027 assembly elections, but the upcoming polls are even crucial for the party, particularly Sukhbir, whose leadership is already under the scanner. The polls will set a tone for 2027, and if results are encouraging for the SAD, it will help Sukhbir keep the party flock together and cadres in high spirits, say experts.
“It is to be seen how Sukhbir is successful in win over the beleaguered Taksali (old guard) Akali supporters, what stand he takes in the polls and how he builds the poll momentum. It will be a big boost for Sukhbir if he is able to consolidate the party’s vote share,” said Jagrup Singh Sekhon, former head of the political science department at Guru Nank Dev University, Amritsar.