Kissa Kursi Ka is far from over. The persistent battle of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with its alliance partner, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for securing chair for its leaders is on and likely to continue for some more time.
The deadlock over the declaration of chairmen of various boards and corporations from the BJP quota, even after it submitted the list of probables two months back to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, is expected to continue — at least till the Delhi Assembly polls. With the two sides adamant on its stand, and refusing to give in, the issue is hanging fire leading to conflict within the saffron party. In fact, the hour-long meetings of SAD-BJP senior leadership, repeated pleas, and assurances failed to find an amicable solution to the problem.
On one hand, SAD chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal has been insisting on giving less number of posts to the BJP in view of its fewer number of legislators this time, the in-charge of Punjab BJP affairs Shanta Kumar, on the other hand, had made it clear that the party would stick to the previous and decided arrangement.
During SAD-BJP’s first Government, the BJP had 19 MlAs against 48 SAD legislators. But its number has now witnessed a slide from 19 to 12, while the Akali Dal has made a huge leap of nine seats to 57 MlAs, other than the support of two independent MlAs. Sources informed The Pioneer that the Chief Minister Badal has left it upon his deputy CM son to resolve the issue as Sukhbir has indicated that the BJP would not get the same share of chairman posts as the during the previous regime, considering the less number of seats in its share.
Though Sukhbir wanted to conduct a meeting with the BJP leadership to discuss the issue, it could not be possible owing to the engagements of both the parties in the Delhi Assembly polls. The entire rank and file of both the SAD and the BJP is camping in the national Capital lending support to their candidates. It is expected that any decision in the matter would be made only after the December 2 — the last date of campaigning for Delhi polls.
Only recently, BJP’s senior leadership has “complained” to the Chief Minister that the appointment of chairmen from its quota were yet to be notified. Only, the former State BJP president Rajinder Bhandari has been appointed as vice-chairman of the Punjab State Planning Board.
The inordinate delay has reportedly caused a resentment of sorts within the BJP cadre that may prove fatal for the BJP, which is already playing second fiddle, ahead crucial 2014 parliamentary polls. Notably, the party’s senior leaders, who tasted defeat in 2012 State Assembly polls or stand marginalised otherwise, are said to have been accommodated as the heads of various government undertakings in the State, including Amritsar former Mayor Shawet Malik, Vijay Sampla, Dr Baldev Raj Chawla, Harjit Singh Grewal, Narottam Das Ratti — who have earlier also served as the chairmen.
The saffron party is already behind schedule as the names of the party leaders for chairmanship were finalised after many hiccups and delays, fearing dissension within the party. At the time when the BJP was in the process of settling over the names with kid gloves, its alliance partner was already done up with the process of appointing his men on the top posts of various Government boards and corporations, including Punjab Mandi Board.
The BJP’s share of boards and corporations are to be provided with new chairmen after the previous incumbents were sacked on September 30, the previous year. It has been learnt that the BJP wanted to have in its share the Khadi Board, Punjab State Industrial Export Corporation, Punjab InfoTech, Water and Sewerage Board, the Gau Sewa Board (Cow Welfare Board), Punjab Forest Corporation, Women and Child and Social Welfare Board and certain improvement trusts, market committees, besides other organisations.
In all, the “cash strapped” Punjab Government has a total of 62 boards and corporations. Out of these, Badal heads five boards, while 45 of them are headed by political appointees, and rest 12 have bureaucrats as chairpersons.