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Friday, Oct 26, 2007
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Is BJP alienating another ally?

Sarabjit Pandher

Some decisions have reportedly irked Akali leaders

The present standoff has been sparked by power charges hike
“The BJP’s stance on Akali succession politics intriguing”

CHANDIGARH: If murmurs of protest from the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal leadership in Punjab are any indicator, the BJP appears to be following a plan through which it is all set to alienate yet another partner from its much depleted National Democratic Alliance even as the possibility of a mid-term poll looms large.

Some of the recent decisions, acts and public utterances by the BJP’s Punjab leadership have left many in the Akali echelons smarting. The Akali leadership has expressed its despair in private that the BJP high command has selected those to lead the party in the State who neither have the sort of experience matching the likes of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal nor have a futuristic vision to carry the alliance ahead.

According to political observers here, drifting away from the Akali Dal may not auger well for the BJP which has already parted with the Indian National Lok Dal in Haryana, Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh, DMK in Tamil Nadu and the Janata Dal in Karnataka and has differences with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

The present standoff has been sparked by a recent hike in power charges. The BJP, while threatening to boycott the State Cabinet, has demanded that the Government either bear the burden of nearly Rs.300 crore or withdraw the facility of free power to agriculture.

The Akali leaders point out that the BJP’s demand for a rollback of the concessions to the farm sector is against the electoral promises made to the people about eight months ago. They remind that keeping in view the BJP’s interests in the trading community the State Government has waived levy of octroi.

A close aide of the Chief Minister warned that the BJP was treading a dangerous path. “It is completely incorrect to suggest that the Akali Dal is favouring the rural Sikhs in providing free power and making the urbanites to pay for the subsidy. The concession is only for the fields, the domestic rural consumers would also pay the increased tariff,” he said. Also the BJP’s intriguing stance vis-a-vis succession politics within the Akali Dal became evident when some of its leaders supported Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who advocated some “harsh steps” including doing away with all subsidies and imposing some more taxes. The Minister had also rued the absence of a “visionary leadership” in taking these decisions.

According to political observers, the BJP owes an explanation: if it is demanding subsidies for the trade and urban sectors, while opposing any additional levies, what for is it supporting the Finance Minister, who is the nephew of the Chief Minister? They point towards recent statements of BJP leaders quoted in the media that the party would not accept if the other Badal family scion, Sukhbir Singh, “inherited” the reins from his father.

Mr. Badal has been forced to remind the BJP its “coalition dharma”, especially when the alliance partner offered embarrassing situations on at least two occasions. The BJP’s local leadership went public on its demand for the post of Deputy Chief Minister and adopted a “threatening posture” during the Dera Sacha Sauda crisis. The present situation forced the octogenarian leader to remind that the Akali Dal had never violated its promise of “unconditional support” to the BJP when the NDA was at the helm of affairs at the Centre.

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