Struggling hard to maintain cordial relationships with its alliance partner—the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is also facing dissent from within.
After the whispers of discord between the SAD and the BJP Ministers or MlAs including Anil Joshi, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu were heard loud and clear, the latest to raise the banner of protest is SAD MlA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Inderbir Singh Bolaria.
Not too happy with the party leadership from the recent past, Bolaria on Thursday came out open, not only against his own Government, but his own party. He minced no words to say that the Akali Dal is less concerned about the urban areas of the state as compared to rural.
Interestingly, BJP has all along been blaming the Akali Dal for ignoring urban pockets, considered to be BJP’s vote bank, and concentrating more on the state’s rural areas — the SAD’s vote bank.
“It seems that urban areas are not on priority for development,” said Bolaria, supporting BJP’s allegations.
Bolaria, Amritsar South legislator, on Thursday staged a protest against the Government on the issue of setting up of solid waste management plan at Bhagtanwala in Amritsar. His protest came a few days after the party “side-lined” him during Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal’s visit to the solid waste plant’s site along with Bolaria’s arch rivals — Navdeep Singh Goldy and Gurpartap Singh Tikka.
Undeterred by the consequences of his move against the Government and party, Bolaria indicated that he would not resign from the SAD, but would accept party’s decision if they expel him. “I can be a martyr but can’t commit suicide,” he said.
Bolaria’s protest has resulted in demand of his resignation from the party by the Akali workers, on the charges of going against the party.
Akali MlA, participating in the protest dharna against setting up of solid waste management plant in a residential area of the holy city, warned the SAD-led State Government to go up to any extent to oppose it.
“I would meet Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to convince them…If I failed to do so, I would call upon the Sikh panth to save the city from litter and its residents from poisonous emission of gases from the solid waste management plant,” he said while bringing in a religious card.
Bolaria said that he would also lead a delegation to meet Akal Takht Jathedar (head priest) to seek his personal intervention to use his influence to stop Government from setting up solid waste management plat in the city.