Amidst growing resentment between the two alliance partners in Punjab since recently-concluded Haryana Assembly polls, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to contest the forthcoming civic polls “jointly” on the existing arrangement.
For streamlining the election campaign process coupled with any local level decisions, the two parties have decided to set up district level coordination committees in all districts.
Besides, a State-level SAD-BJP coordination panel has also been revived, comprising SAD secretary and State Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema and former Minister and Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Tikshan Sud.
The decisions were taken during a high-level meeting of the coordination committee of the SAD-BJP alliance held at the Chief Minister’s residence on Wednesday evening.
The joint statement issued by the two parties declared that the SAD-BJP alliance was “more than a political arrangement and represented social cohesion and communal harmony in Punjab”.
The two parties also resolved to give “a befitting response to the mischievous, baseless and motivated propaganda misinformation campaign of what the meeting described as the frustrated, rejected and rootless congress party” on various issues.
“The two parties shared a complete unanimity of approach in addressing all issues concerning the people and the State. The meeting dismissed as wildly speculative and utterly baseless rumors being spread by the vested interests,” read the official statement.
“These canards run contrary to the spirit of strong emotional and ideological bonds between the two parties who symbolise age old social cohesion and communal harmony in the State,” it added.
The “joint statement” by the SAD and the BJP seems to be an apparent attempt by the two allies to downplay the growing bitterness between them ever since the two come face-to-face with each other in Haryana State Assembly polls in October this year.
SAD’s decision to support the Indian National lok Dal (INlD), and then clear majority to the BJP in Haryana has led to a deep sea change in the political equations in the State. Playing second fiddle to SAD till now, the BJP has started to flex its muscles following series of wins.
The statement also assumes significance as the BJP had all along been maintaining that it would claim more seats during the ensuing elections to 122 municipal councils and six municipal corporations, scheduled for January.
Giving details of the meeting, SAD general secretary Harcharan Bains said that the two parties were fully geared to sweep the civic poll.
Presided over by the Chief Minster Parkash Singh Badal, the meeting was attended by SAD president Sukhbir Badal, state BJP president Kamal Sharma and senior SAD and BJP leaders including Ranjit Singh Brahampura, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Balwidner SIngh Bhunder, Tota Singh, Bhagat Chunni lal, Rajinder Bhandari, Ashwani Sharma, among others.
The meeting also accepted, in principle, the report of six-member SAD-BJP panel that had set up to suggest ways to further streamline governance in the State.SAD, meanwhile, announced its list of district-level observers for further strengthening coordination between the two parties at the grassroots level throughout the State.