With strong opposition by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to the BJP-led Central Government’s three agriculture-related bills coupled with Harsimrat Badal’s resignation from the Union Cabinet in protest, the already-strained relationship between the decades old alliance partners, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the SAD, has taken another hit with the saffron party toughening its stand against the Akalis.
Not only Harsimrat’s resignation as the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries was accepted by the President Ram Nath Kovind, Punjab’s BJP top brass has given enough indications that it would not be bogged down by Akalis’ decisions. In fact, the senior BJP leaders have made it clear that it was upon the Akali Dal to decide whether they want to make or mar the coalition.
What is more! In the absence of support of its ally, SAD, on the issue of agri bills, the saffron brigade has decided to fight its own battle. It has decided to go house to house, covering all villages, meeting people, and making them aware of the benefits of these bills. “BJP will go to each village in the State and readdress the issues of any misunderstanding over this ordinance to the farmers,” said Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma, adding that the party would clear their doubts.
Sharma said the party would also “work out on any suggestions by the agrarian community and will strive to always work for economic betterment”. At the same time, he appealed to the farmers not to be misled by “petty politics of Opposition parties”.
The State BJP chief alleged that the Opposition was a “fraud” by misleading the farmers that MSP (minimum support price) will be withdrawn. “MSP was there for decades, MSP will stay and every grain of the farmer will be purchased by the government,” said Sharma, adding that the option is being given to the farmers that they can sell their produce anywhere in the country at the best price offered.
“Never in history has the farmer been given the opportunity to merchandise his crop at optimum price. It’s a revolution in the farming sector,” said Sharma hailing the three bills which he described as “revolutionary” which would economically uplift the agriculture community in the nation.
Even as the SAD had given indications that it would continue its support to the NDA, the talks of snapping ties in Punjab has once again gained steam.
State BJP leaders have all along been pushing the proposal of claiming a larger seat share than its ally, and play the role of a big brother in the alliance, which Akali Dal has been playing till date. And with SAD deciding to quit the Cabinet in protest against its own Government’s move, the BJP leaders in the State have once again laid claim on 59 seats out of total 117.
“We have not snapped the ties, nor did we ask them to do so or pressurised them. Staying in coalition or not, is upon them to decide,” said senior BJP leader Madan Mohan Mittal, adding that if they wanted to fight polls together, “we will give them 58”.
The coalition between the SAD and BJP dates back since 1997, and has a settled seat-sharing formula. Out of the total 117 assembly seats in Punjab, the BJP fights on 23 while the Akalis contest the rest, while in parliamentary elections, the BJP gets three seats against 10 for the SAD. Akalis’ traditional vote bank includes the Sikh rural peasantry, while the BJP’s vote bank mainly comprised the urban and the semi-urban trader communities.
