As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to the streets in this part of the region during his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, Punjab’s former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Wednesday parted ways with the grand old party after levelling allegations of factionalism. Conspicuous by his absence from the yatra’s Punjab leg, “disillusioned” Manpreet Badal gave up Congress’ ‘hand’ to hold the Bharatiya Janta Party’s (BJP) lotus hours after.
Announcing his decision to end ties with the Congress on Twitter, Manpreet also shared a letter he has written to the party’s former chief Rahul Gandhi alleging that “a coterie of leaders based in the national capital was running party affairs in the state and it had given rise to factionalism”.
Joining the saffron brigade in the party’s headquarters in New Delhi, Manpreet maintained that he took the decision after “disappointing disillusionment” with the Congress party. “How can you operate in a party which is at war with itself?” said Manpreet, who was formally inducted into the party by the Union Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP national general secretary from Punjab Tarun Chugh. “Not only in Punjab but in many states, the party is full of factions,” he added.
With this, Manpreet has joined the long list of Congress’ top leaders who had switched their loyalties to the BJP over the period of past one year — right from the former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to former state unit chief Sunil Jakhar; from several former ministers including Balbir Singh Sidhu, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Raj Kumar Verka, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, to number of former legislators Kewal Singh Dhillon, Harjot Kamal, among many others.
The two-time state’s Finance Minister Manpreet has maintained distance from the Rahul Gandhi’s nation-wide march that entered Punjab on January 11. He was conspicuous by his absence when the yatra passed through Bathinda — his home town.
Ever since his defeat in the 2022 state assembly polls, Manpreet has been lying low, and went into political hibernation. Five-time MLA Manpreet Badal lost to Aam Aadmi Party’s Jagroop Singh Gill from Bathinda urban seat by a whopping margin of over 60,000 votes.
The Akali tag attached to the ‘Badal’ surname apparently hindered Manpreet’s acceptance within the Congress party which saw him as an outsider throughout, notwithstanding his cordial relations with the high command. His own party leaders were critical of him for not releasing funds for their constituencies during his stint as the Finance Minister.
Manpreet is said to have played an important role in propelling Charanjit Singh Channi’s elevation as the Chief Minister following sudden turn of events that saw Capt Amarinder’s unceremonious exit. The development upset his friend Navjot Singh Sidhu who was eyeing the coveted post.
Following his and the Congress party’s resounding defeat in 2022 polls, Manpreet was not seen in the party events or even skipped party meetings, especially following the appointment of his arch rival Amrinder Singh Raja Warring’s appointment as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president — which is believed to be the main reason behind his resignation from the party.
FROM SAD TO BJP
He was first elected MLA from Gidderbaha as Shiromani Akali Dal leader in May 1995. He was introduced by his uncle and the five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal into the politics. He was re-elected from the same seat in 1997, 2002, and then in 2007, and went on to become the Finance Minister in Parkash Singh Badal led coalition government in 2007.
However, following his differences over the issue of Centre’s debt waiver offer with the rest of party, Manpreet was expelled from the Cabinet, and subsequently, expelled from the party in October 2010. In 2011, he floated his own political outfit — the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP), that contested 2012 assembly polls bagging a miniscule share of over five per cent votes — which was enough to eat into Congress’ share handing over power to the SAD-BJP combine for another five-year term.
Interestingly, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has joined electoral politics through Manpreet’s PPP. Later, Mann joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2014.
In 2016, months before 2017 assembly polls, Manpreet merged his PPP with the Congress. He won from Bathinda urban segment, and went on to become Finance Minister for the second time under Capt Amarinder Singh led government. He remained the Finance Minister even after Capt Amarinder was removed as the Chief Minister in September 2021. He was credited for presenting Punjab budget for a record nine times — the maximum for any Minister in Punjab.
CLOUDS OVER CONG CLEARED: JAI RAM RAMESH
Taking a swipe at Manpreet, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter, saying, “clouds (badal) over the Punjab Congress have cleared”. “A man who left the Akali Dal to make his own party and then joined the Congress, was made finance minister for five years, then lost by a record margin of over 60,000 and thereafter went into hibernation now joins BJP…Punjab Congress par se badal chhat gaye hain (clouds over the Punjab Congress have cleared),” tweeted Ramesh in Hindi.
“GOOD RIDDANCE”, REACTS WARRING
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring dubbed Manpreet’s resignation from the party as “good riddance” while describing the former Finance Minister as “congenitally power hungry”.
Hitting out at Manpreet for his switchover, Warring accused him of having joined the Congress in anticipation that it was winning the last Assembly polls. “Good riddance. @MSBADAL is congenitally power-hungry. He joined @INCIndia knowing the party was winning (the Punjab Assembly polls). 5 yrs is a long time for someone like him to stay out of power for unknown reasons. Instead of crying martyrdom, he should be apologizing to Congress for betrayal,” tweeted the Congress state president.
In another tweet, Warring said: “No Mir Jafar has ever risen to remain a king be remembered for, their ignominious fate remains etched in political history of India.”
RESERVE SOME SEATS FOR ‘ORIGINAL BJP LEADERS’: SAD TO BJP
Taking a dig at the Congress following Manpreet’s resignation, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljeet Singh Cheema said that with the speed the Congress leaders are joining the BJP, the saffron party should reserve some seats for its “original BJP leaders”. “Keeping in view the rapid joining of Congress leaders in the Punjab BJP unit, I humbly appeal to the BJP high command to reserve at least 3 Lok Sabha and 23 Vidhan Sabha seats for original BJP leaders who have been working hard for the party since decades,” he said in a tweet.