For Shiromani Akali Dal, (SAD) enemy of a friend is not necessarily a foe in politics.
SAD is contesting parliamentary polls in Punjab in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but is campaigning against it in Haryana. But for party President Sukhbir Singh Badal, the move is justified. Defending the party’s decision to go against its ally BJP in Haryana by supporting the Indian National lok Dal (INlD) and campaigning for it, Sukhbir said that he had no qualms about standing by their old-time friends.
Sukhbir made it clear that the BJP high command has been duly informed about SAD’s decision to campaign for the INlD. SAD chief, however, did not respond on INlD at a later stage joining hands with the BJP.
“Things are very clear between the SAD and the BJP high command from the day one that we are going to support INlD in Haryana… which is not happening for the first time. We have always supported them and campaigned for them,” said Sukhbir while clarifying the air that his party is going against the ‘coalition dharma’ with the BJP.
Adding, he said that we also “tried to make an alliance between BJP and INlD… but that could not work out”. It is believed that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had tried his best to work out a deal between the INlD and BJP, since the BJP was already committed to the HJC, the alliance with INlD did not work out.
Nonetheless, a post-election arrangement between the INlD and BJP could be the possibility, as Haryana Assembly polls are due in October this year. “Nobody knows what is ion store in future,” said Sukhbir.
SAD is in coalition with the BJP in Punjab since more than three decades, and running the alliance government since 2007. However, things are different in the neighbouring Haryana where SAD is having close ties with former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala led INlD. The Badal family has “strong ties” with the Chautala family.
INlD has fielded sitting SAD MlA in Haryana Charanjeet Singh as the party candidate from the Sirsa parliamentary seat. BJP, in Haryana, has made an alliance with the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) headed by Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of former Chief Minister Bhajan lal — against whom the SAD stands. Earlier, INlD had a tie-up with the BJP in Haryana before 2009.
“BJP has alliance with Bhajan lal’s family in Haryana which Akali Dal could not accept owing to their major role during the Operation Bluestar,” claimed Sukhbir, who along with his father are addressing rallies in favour of INlD candidates, at a time when Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala are behind bars.
Badal was even present with Dushyant Chautala, great-grandson of Devi lal and fourth generation leader from his family, while he was filing his nomination papers from Hisar. Notably, both father-son duo are taking enough precautions while campaigning for INlD and not against the BJP.
In fact, Sukhbir, in his rallies a day before in Haryana, had maintained that NDA would form the next government at the Centre and “INlD MPs would play a crucial role”.While INlD was initially supporting NDA’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, has now changed their stand after latter’s Gohana rally where he assailed the INlD.