less than six months before Punjab Assembly elections, the SAD-BJP combine is finding itself in a precarious situation where its leaders are either walking away or the combine is being compelled to show them the door.
The moment apparently is hitting the coalition hard, particularly as the possibility of Navjot Singh Sidhu, Inderbir Singh Bolaria and Pargat Singh joining hands with rivals is on the cards. This all comes at a time when the alliance is facing strong anti-incumbency after completing its 10-year in power.
Treading cautiously, or say intelligently, SAD president Sukhbir Badal wasted no time to act against rebellious leaders — Bolaria and Pargat Singh — from the party saving Akali Dal from being embarrassed, just like Sidhu left its ally, the BJP.
52-year-old Sidhu heated up the Punjab political battlefield by announcing his sudden, but not unexpected, departure from the saffron brigade. His MlA wife Dr Navjot Kaur, who is currently the Chief Parliamentary Secretary in the SAD-BJP Government, further created a flutter by saying that she would soon decide on her future course of action after her husband’s decision.
learning lessons, Sukhbir decided to get rid of the rebellious forces within the SAD, which cannot be won over, much before it could damage the party in its run-up to high-stake ballot battle, scheduled for 2017.
SAD, along with its ally the BJP, is making every possible effort to make a hat-trick by harping on the development agenda. At the same time, the strong opposition in the reemerging Congress and the resurgent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is giving tough time to the ally. For the deserters, the AAP is proving be a good alternative.
Even as the speculations of Sidhu joining AAP is rife, there are also conjectures that the suspended SAD leaders — Bolaria and Pargat Singh — may soon be going the AAP way.
In fact, Pargat Singh on Wednesday gave enough indications of joining AAP in the days to come. Sources maintained that AAP was working on the Olympian and former Indian hockey team captain since he first raised the banner of revolt against his own Government and the party.
Ruling out any possibility of going back to SAD, Pargat preferred to avoid any direct reply on his joining AAP, but said: “Everything will be cleared in the days to come.”
Pargat Singh, addressing the media at Jalandhar, said: “I would continue to remain in the politics and decision on my next political platform will be taken in the days to come.”
He quipped that in case cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu joins AAP, “it will be a good combination. He is an attacking batsman and I am defender”.
Coming to AAP defence for both SAD and Congress terming it as “a bunch of inexperienced” leaders, Pargat said: “Sometimes inexperienced leaders perform much better than the experienced one.”
Also rubbishing SAD’s allegation that AAP would ruin the state if voted to power, Pargat said that “nothing can be worse than the SAD’s rule”.
A day after his suspension, Pargat Singh minced no words and ‘bombarded’ the SAD by terming it as “mentally bankrupt’, “party of chamchas and dalals” (party of sycophants and brokers) claiming that Sukhbir Badal acts like a “super human”.
“What indiscipline I didIJ I raised issues related to my constituency. Does it amount to indisciplineIJ” Pargat questioned adding that if they (SAD) think it was indiscipline, “I am ready to conduct such indiscipline again and again”. He described his expulsion as “good riddance”.
On the other hand, Bolaria too attacked Sukhbir Badal left-right-and-center. He equated Sukhbir and his brother-in-law Bikram Majithia with the duo of Duryodhana and his wicked uncle Shakuni, saying that Punjab was being ruined because of these two.
Keeping his cards close to his chest, he said that he would reveal his next strategy in a month’s time while adding that he would be ready to go with any party that would support the cause of his constituency and the people.
Both Bolaria and Pargat Singh were protesting against the setting up of solid waste management plants in their respective constituencies. They have openly raised the banner of revolt against their own Government and the party.
While the SAD had removed Bolaria from its team of Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and also from the party’s post, Pargat Singh, on the other hand, refused to take oath as the CPS. Both have been placed under suspension for “anti-party activities”.