Drifting together in rough political seas for decades, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP alliance is heading for a split. In its first step towards parting ways, the Punjab BJP on Thursday decided not to support its alliance partner SAD in Tarn Taran during the ensuing civic body polls.
The party has also set 24-hour deadline for the Punjab Government to act against the attackers for assaulting senior BJP leader and State local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi’s younger brother in Tarn Taran, and also against the “erring” cops.In case of the Government’s failure to act, the party would decide its “future course of action”.
The decision was taken in more than two-hour long BJP Core Committee’s “urgent” meeting held on Thursday under the leadership of the State party chief Kamal Sharma, called to discuss the issue of violent attack on Minister’s brother.
The party has made clear its intentions that the State Government has to initiate strict action against the attackers and the police personnel to send across a strong message, and also for further continuation of the ties.
Demanding arrest and action against the attackers, alleged to be Akali men, under the “attempt to murder charges”, the party’s core committee has also sought dismissal of the Station House Officer (SHO) present on the spot and “just smiling”, along with transfer of the area Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) for delaying action in the matter.
“The committee has decided that the culprits of this attack should be arrested within 24 hours and for lack of fair action and investigation of the case. The SHO should be dismissed and SSP should be transferred,” said Kamal Sharma.
He added that the Committee further resolved that “to restore people’s confidence for fair and impartial municipal elections, desired steps should be taken”. Punjab BJP has already apprised the party high command regarding the incident and has sent the video clippings of the incident, leaving it on them to take the final call.
The video footage was released by Anil Joshi, a day before, showing five Akali men firing at his brother, Rajesh alias Raja Joshi, and assaulting him at Tarn Taran Deputy Commissioner’s office in full public view and in the presence of police personnel.
Joshi identified the attackers as Akali councilor Baljit Singh Gill, SAD’s candidate for civic polls Jagwant Singh, SAD candidate Rajesh Rinku, SAD councilor Yadwinder Singh Yadu, and councilor Surjit Singh lalli.
The video showed several men, at least three of them, carrying pistols firing at Joshi’s brother and then throwing him on the ground. One of them is then seen grabbing Raja’s pistol and walking away. The footage also showed police personnel, including city SHO, present on the spot as onlookers and only intervening later.
Training guns at his own Government, Joshi had threatened to put in his papers after blaming the State Revenue Minister and Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia’s “team” for “pre-planned” attack on his brother at Tarn Taran. He also named Akali MlA Harmeet Singh Sandhu for conjuring the attack.
The party’s Core Committee, comprising of senior leaders, strongly condemned the “attempt of murder of BJP workers” in Tarn Taran on Tuesday “by certain anti-social elements led by local Akali municipal councilors by targeting firing in the presence of concerned SHO and Police force who remained a silent spectator”.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has already constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising IG Border Range Ishwar Chander and Amritsar Commissioner of Police Jatinder Singh Aulakh to probe the shootout incident.
Sources informed The Pioneer that the party has also decided that in case, the Government failed to take any serious action against the culprits and the cops, it would hold another core committee meeting and decide upon the “future course of action”.
The relations between the decades-old alliance partners were already at its lowest ebb in the recent past, and had recovered only recently ahead Delhi Assembly and State municipal polls. However, as the resounding defeat in Delhi has led to blame-game between the two, the attack on Joshi’s brother allegedly by Akali men has further deteriorated the already worsened ties.
At one point of time, the saffron brigade, emerging stronger after sweeping general elections followed by Haryana Assembly polls, was considering to go solo for the next assembly polls in Punjab, scheduled to be held in 2017.
With new differences cropping up, the party has initiated its first move towards the same. “The core group has decided that the party would not support the SAD candidates in the civic body elections in Tarn Taran. They would contest on their seats, and BJP on its own. There would not be any cooperation between us. No BJP leader would go to address SAD rallies, and vice-versa,” a senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity, told The Pioneer.
BJP’s senior leaders, including Union Minister Vijay Sampla, national general secretary Tarun Chugh and former state party chief Brij lal Rinwa along with Kamal Sharma, would visit Taran Tarn on Friday to meet the party workers.