Adding a new dimension to Punjab politics, “fourth front” formally came into being on Friday after much speculations.
Aam Aadmi Party’s suspended MP Dr Dharamvir Gandhi, AAP’s sacked Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur and other political outfits joined hands to put up a united opposition under the banner of ‘Punjab Front’.
Besides Gandhi’s lok Punjab Front and Chhotepur’s Apna Punjab Party (APP), other outfits coming under one umbrella include Democratic Swaraj Party led by a political-sociologist Manjit Singh, Akhand Akali Dal — a conglomeration of Akali Dal (1920), Delhi Akali Dal, Panthic Akali Dal and the International Akali Dal; Bahujan Sangharsh Dal, and Volunteers’ Front Punjab.
The development is significant as the new party may eventually end up denting the vote share of the main political parties in the ensuing State Assembly polls.
For the first time, the State is likely to witness a four-sided contest with SAD-BJP, Congress and the AAP being the other three parties.
The new outfit has also decided to rope in Awaaz-e-Punjab — comprising of BJP’s former MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, Olympian and MlA Pargat Singh, MlA brothers Simarjeet Bains and Balwinder Bains. Besides, it has also resolved to hold talks with the left parties.
Even as Awaaz-e-Punjab was once expected to be a harbinger of a grant joint front, it has till date not made clear its stand of either joining the Congress or the AAP. Simarjeet Bains and Pargat Singh has time and again insisted that their talks with both the Congress and AAP were going on, and they would soon announce their decision.
The new front held its meeting on Friday to take stock of the political situation and deliberate on the “common minimum programme” for the forthcoming Punjab assembly elections in January-February next year.
Dr Gandhi, Patiala MP, has been suspended from AAP for more than a year now for anti-party activities. Since then, he has all along been accusing the AAP of engaging in “petty politics”.It was decided in the meeting, conducted by IAS Dr Karamjit Singh Sra, that the name of the platform would be ‘Punjab Front’.
In the beginning, Dr Gandhi gave a presentation of draft common minimum programme and put the same for discussion.
The Front passed resolution to “go into consultations with Awaaz-e-Punjab and left parties to explore the possibilities to build broader platform for the Punjab assembly elections 2017”.
The Front also constituted a committee, comprising Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, RR Bharadwaj, Harish Dhanda, Resham Singh, Dr Jagjit Singh, Babu Singh Brar, Jagdev Singh Grewal, and Prof Santokh Singh Aujla, to finalize the common minimum programme.
In addition, another committee was also formed for screening the candidates for various constituencies on the basis of “commitment to Common Minimum Programme, competency and winnability”.
“All the members present strongly resolved to relentlessly work for Punjab, Punjabiyat, and the people of Punjab,” said Dr Gandhi.