Ageing after ten years in power, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is adding verve to its wrinkled imageby giving itself a coat of makeover.
Projecting itself as an enthusiastic and action-oriented party, the Akali Dal has, in past few months, initiated several steps right from returning to panthic agenda, to restructuring the party units, to chalking out new strategies for toughening the party, among others.
Attribute it to the dents its image has suffered in the recent past due to the alleged involvement of its leaders in drug menace, Moga orbit bus molestation case, and others, or the impending threat from its alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is exploring the uncharted territories, the SAD has got down to serious business with an eye on next State Assembly polls in 2017 by chalking out a multi-pronged pre-poll strategy.
With the Assembly elections still more than a year-and-half away, the SAD is leaving no stone unturned to ensure another term in the office by overcoming the anti-incumbency in the State and also at the Centre.
It has been learnt that seeing the SAD embroiled in a series of controversies, with Moga case acting as the last nail in its coffin, senior Akali leadership stressed on, once again, re-inventing the party as a guardian of Sikhism, and its rights.
In a first move towards this direction, the Akali Dal has gone back on its panthic agenda in an apparent attempt to recoup from the failures and controversies it had faced in the recent past including Moga bus molestation case, drug issue.
As a part of the same, the party organised a Dharmik Darshan Didar Yatra — a journey across the State bringing Sikh masters' relics, followed by 350th anniversary celebration of Sri Anandpur Sahib, raising several Sikh-related issues with the Centre.
Its latest move was the shifting of two Sikh prisoners - Khalistani militant Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar and TADA convict Gurdeep Singh Khera - back to Punjab which has irked the saffron party.
Besides, the party is also making all out efforts to win over the Dalit community, which forms 33 percent of the state's total population - the highest in the country. The party is travelling an extra mile to woo dalits in the State, comprising one-third of State's total population, who are said to hold a key in the elections.
Other than dalits, the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from Punjab is also the party's priority. To woo them, the party is sending a team of five Akali ministers to the foreign shores.
"Five Akali Ministers - Sikandar Singh Maluka, Daljeet Singh Cheema, Tota Singh, Surjeet Singh Rakhra, and Sharanjeet Singh Dhillon - will meet the NRIs from the State in the US and Canada in July, and apprise them about the State Government's achievements, what steps it has taken for the Punjabi Diaspora, and what more would be done," a senior Akali leader told The Pioneer.
Sources in the party revealed that alarmed by the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state after 2014 lok Sabha polls followed by forming Government in Delhi, and its impact on the impact on the NRIs, the party has decided to win back the huge vote bank.
It is believed that the NRIs are enchanted by the way the AAP is taking up the people's issues and performing in Delhi. For that matter, the NRIs are expected to provide monetary support to AAP for the 2017 assembly polls in Punjab, just like they did during 2014 parliamentary elections.
What's more, the party is restructuring its all units. After reconstituting its youth wing - Youth Akali Dal, and women wing - Istri Akali Dal, the party is also streamlining its overseas units.
In addition, it is also in the process of repositioning its controversial halqa in-charges. Also, the party is wooing the potential troublemakers by giving them plum postings of chairman and vice-chairman in boards and corporations.
If that is not enough! The party has also gone into self-contemplation and self-examination mode. It has asked its sitting MlAs and the candidates during 2012 polls for a feedback - listing out the plus and minus points, the steps or decisions required for victory, agenda for 2017 polls, among others things.
The party has also hinted its leaders to focus on fulfilling the poll promises, to gain trust among the State's voters. The Opposition parties have all along been criticising the SAD-BJP combine in the State and BJP led NDA Government in the Centre.
Startled by the BJP claims of having enrolled 23 lakh members in its mega membership drive across State, the SAD's youth wing has also launched a membership drive, besides embracing technology to click with the State's youth including launching YAD app, connecting with them in cyber space by joining social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, among others.
After creating a record by forming a Government for the second consecutive term in Punjab on development agenda, the party has now decided to follow the same. For the same, it has imposed cess on electricity, diesel, and petrol - to generate annual revenue of `1500 crore - to fuel the State's expenses for overall development of rural and urban areas.