Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is banking on its senior leader Gulzar Singh Ranike to sail it through the sacrilege-hit constituency of Faridkot.
With Faridkot being the most crucial seat for the Akali Dal considering that the incidents of sacrilege were first reported from the villages falling under this segment in 2015 under SAD-BJP rule, the SAD has decided to lay its bet on a mazhabi Sikh leader from the constituency dominated by the community.
In fact, the Mazhabi Sikhs are the dominant caste amongst the Dalit Sikh population in Punjab.
Three villages — Burj Jawahar Singh Wala from where Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurdwara on June 1, 2015; Bargari from where the torn pages of the holy book were found in the streets on October 12, 2015; and Behbal Kalan where two people were killed in police firing — falls in Faridkot.
All the rival political parties have been taking on the Akali Dal, especially the Badals, over the sacrilege and related firing incidents that rocked the state in 2015.
The failure to solve sacrilege cases, and alleged involvement of the Badals in Behbal Kalan firing cases, wherein two innocent protestors died, has cost the Akali Dal to the extent that after ruling the state for a decade, it has been pushed to the distant third place with just 15 seats, besides three of its ally — the BJP.
Congress is making all out efforts to keep the issue alive, especially in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. Soon after coming to power, the Congress set up Justice (retired) Ranjit Singh Commission, whose report left the erstwhile SAD-BJP government embarrassed. After the report was tabled in the Vidhan Sabha, a special investigating team (SIT) was set up to probe all the sacrilege cases, and related firing incidents.
SIT, probing the cases, had questioned former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, SAD president Sukhbir Badal, and former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in the matter, besides arresting IG Paramraj Singh Umranangal, and Moga’s former SSP Charanjit Sharma.
SAD, only recently, submitted a complaint with the Election Commission against the SIT’s probing officer and IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh. Day later, the Congress submitted a representation to Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Karuna Raju accusing the SAD of using the Election Commission to “sabotage” the ongoing probe by the SIT into the sacrilege and police firing incidents.
A former Minister and senior leader Ranike’s candidature was announced a day after the Congress party decided to field the folk singer-turned-politician Mohd Sadique from the reserve seat for May 19 elections in Punjab.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded its sitting MP Prof Sadhu Singh to seek re-election, while Punjabi Ekta Party’s (PEP) Master Baldev Singh would contest as the candidate of Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA).
Ranike, who had been the state Cabinet Minister twice in 2007 and 2012, is presently heading the party’s SC wing. He is a four-time MLA from Attari (reserved) seat in Amritsar.
He lost to the Congress candidate Tarsem Singh DC from Attari in 2017 Assembly polls.
The Akali Dal has so far announced candidates for seven seats, out of total 10 it contests in alliance with the BJP. The saffron party fields its candidates on three seats.
