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Rift in Haryana casting shadow on SAD-BJP alliance in Punjab
CHANDIGARH The war of words between leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP over their rift in Haryana has started casting its shadow over their alliance
CHANDIGARH The war of words between leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP over their rift in Haryana has started casting its shadow over their alliance in Punjab prompting the two parties to call a meeting of the co-ordination committee in Jalandhar on October 5.
The meeting will be attended by senior leadership of both the parties.
Dubbing the meeting as a routine affair, SAD spokesperson Daljeet Singh Cheema claimed it has been called to prepare a joint strategy for the coming assembly bypolls. However, senior SAD leaders told HT that the party was upset over the statements being made by Punjab BJP leaders against the SAD leadership.
GREWAL’S COMMENT OVER SAD LEADERSHIP
The Akali leadership, it is learnt, has taken strong exception to a statement by former BJP general secretary Harjeet Grewal over the leadership qualities of SAD chief Sukhbir Badal during a TV debate. Grewal, when contacted, said he stands by his words and has never spoken “anything personal against anybody”.
He added, “On Tuesday, SAD claimed that by making a BJP aspirant from Kalanwali seat of Haryana to join their fold, it has settled the score for our party’s move to induct the sole SAD MLA from Haryana (from Kalanwali) into BJP. I replied by saying that SAD leadership should learn humility from senior Badal and should follow preachings of Guru Nanak, and should not remain in any disillusionment.”
MITTAL’S DEMAND FOR 50% SEATS FOR BJP
The recent statement of former state BJP chief Madan Mohan Mittal that the party should be given at least 50% seats in Punjab has also added to the tension between the two allies.
“Our workers are giving us the feedback that we should contest on at least 50% seats in the state. SAD should not get fussy about Haryana as BJP never had alliance with them in the state. In the Lok Sabha polls, SAD itself had announced to support the BJP in Haryana,” said Mittal.
When SAD chief Sukhbir Badal recently termed the BJP’s decision to induct the Kalanwali SAD MLA into the party fold as a move against the “coalition dharma”, BJP national secretary Tarun Chugh retorted that Sukhbir should not teach them lessons on morality.
Talking to HT, a former Akali minister said, “We have strongly conveyed to the Punjab BJP leadership to stop their leaders from making statements against SAD leadership. The issue will be the main agenda for discussion in the co-ordination meeting. They should understand that in the coming bypolls, they need us more in Phagwara and Mukerian than we need them in Dakha and Jalalabad.”
The BJP, on the other hand, is upset with the SAD cadre’s absence from electioneering in Phagwara and Mukerian. The party is also peeved at a SAD councillor from Phagwara filing his nomination as an independent candidate.
State BJP chief Shwait Malik said all issues concerning the bypolls will come up for discussion in the Jalandhar meeting.
“As far as the issue of SAD councillor filing his nomination as independent is concerned, it is duty of the SAD to ask him to withdraw. I am not aware about the statements made by any BJP leaders against SAD. Our coalition in Punjab is intact and all small issues relating to bypolls will be sorted out in the meeting,” he said.
