Two leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) have virtually swapped places in what appears to be ‘tit for tat’ action just before the Haryana Assembly polls.
Within a week of the saffron party inducting SAD’s lone MLA from Kalanwali Assembly seat in Haryana in the party fold, SAD president Sukhbir Badal get even with its age-old ally by making BJP’s candidate from the same seat during 2014 state polls holding the ‘scales’ on Tuesday.
BJP’s decision to induct Akali MLA from Kalanwali assembly Balkaur Singh in the party, that too at a time when the two parties are holding talks regarding the coalition and discussing seat share, had failed to go down well with the SAD. So much so, the SAD declared to snap ties with the BJP while condemning the saffron party “for using political muscle power to make Akali MLA join it in Haryana”.
In an apparent attempt to avenge the same, Sukhbir inducted BJP’s senior leader from the same constituency Rajinder Singh Desujodha in Akali Dal. That was not all! Sukhbir went on to declare Desujodha as the party’s candidate from Kalanwali constituency for October 21 polls.
Welcoming the BJP leader into the party, SAD president said that Desujodha had expressed solidarity with the party and its ideals and had pledged to work for peace and communal harmony besides resolving grievances of the people of the constituency.
Expressing confidence that the SAD would win the Sikh-dominated Kalanwali seat, Sukhbir said that the people of the constituency had expressed confidence in the SAD in 2009 and 2014 assembly elections and would continue to support the party. Desumajra would file his nomination papers on October 3, he said.
Desumajra said that the BJP had betrayed the SAD by co-opting its legislator Balkaur Singh into the saffron party. “The BJP also betrayed me after promising to re-nominate me as the party’s candidate from the seat. I will now give an appropriate response to the BJP for these twin betrayals and ensure a win by 25,000 votes for the SAD,” he said.
SAD IN TALKS WITH OTHER PARTIES FOR ALLIANCE
SAD president Sukhbir Badal said that the party’s Haryana unit, led by its in-charge Balwinder Singh Bhundur, was in talks with other political parties for an alliance in Haryana. “We are confident of arriving at an understanding in a day or two”, he added.