Decades old alliance between the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is in jeopardy with the Akalis virtually severing their ties with the saffron brigade in the national capital on the issue of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The echo of SAD’s action may eventually be heard in Punjab with the second breakup between the two parties — first being in Haryana after the BJP joined hands with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) while dropping the Akali Dal ahead 2019 polls.
The reason for the Delhi break up being cited by the SAD is ideological differences between the two over the CAA-National Register of Citizens (NRC). But the political observers believed that there is much more to it.
SAD has been contesting on four Sikh-dominated assembly seats in Delhi since 2013, when the Akali Dal entered the electoral fray in the national capital. In 2015 elections, SAD fielded its two candidates on BJP election symbol — lotus, and two on its own party symbol — weighing scales.
However, this time, the party was adamant on fielding its candidates on its own party symbol, besides demanding more seats — a demand not agreed upon by the BJP, which eventually announced to contest Delhi polls in alliance with Janta Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) with no mention of the SAD.
The development appears to being sync with the BJP’s nationwide policy of not giving too much weightage to its allies after emerging powerful during the past few years — parting ways with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, joining hands with JJP in Haryana despite holding talks with the Akali Dal, are major instances.
This comes close on the heels of Punjab BJP leaders’ demand of giving the saffron party a larger share in the state politics.
What was a whisper in the BJP corridors since long was heard loud and clear during Ashwani Sharma’s taking-over ceremony as the state unit president on Friday at Jalandhar.
Party’s senior leaders, including former Minister Master Mohan Lal, Madan Mohan Mittal, former state unit president Rajinder Bhandari, had minced no words to say that the BJP should contest on more number of seats than SAD and play the role of “big brother” which is currently being played by the Akali Dal.
Mittal, BJP veteran, had proposed that the party should contest on 59 seats out of the total 117, leaving 58 for the SAD.
Still holding the same view, Mittal said that the party leaders have conveyed to the high command that workers were not satisfied with contesting just 23 seats in Punjab.