Chandigarh: The dying of Parkash Singh Badal, the doyen of Punjab politics who had dominated the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the previous 25 years, has introduced the century-old get together at crossroads.
Badal, who handed away final week, had taken over as SAD chief in 1996 and handed over the baton to his son Sukhbir Singh — who continues to be the get together president — in 2008.
He had been criticised by get together leaders and political opponents alike, for what they termed as turning the get together into his private fiefdom. However so long as the get together had been in energy within the state until 2017, the voices of dissent remained smothered.
Nevertheless, following the 2017 election outcomes, when SAD’s share within the 117-seat meeting dwindled to fifteen, leaders of the outdated guard corresponding to Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Rattan Singh Ajnala and Sewa Singh Sekhwan break up the get together, forming SAD (Democratic) and SAD (Taksali).
The regular spate of leaders deserting the get together continued, the most recent being Charanjit Singh Atwal, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) in early April.
Other than the get together dropping high leaders, it has additionally been grappling with a diminished core vote financial institution among the many Sikh peasantry. The get together misplaced its panthic (Sikh politics) credentials in 2015 when a collection of incidents of alleged sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib (thought of to be a residing Guru by the Sikhs) happened when Badal was the state CM. The Akalis had been perceived to have didn’t convey the accused to e-book. The get together has not been capable of retrieve its panthic vote base since.
The get together’s place on the three contentious farm legal guidelines handed by the central authorities in 2020, which led to the farmers’ agitation of 2021 ensuing within the legal guidelines being repealed, dealt an additional blow to the get together’s picture.
SAD had initially supported the legal guidelines. By the point they received round to supporting the stir, even to the extent of breaking their 40-year-old alliance with the BJP within the state, it was too late.
Within the 2022 meeting elections, SAD gained solely three seats, placing an enormous query mark on its political future. Badal himself, who had not suffered an electoral defeat since 1969, misplaced his residence seat of Lambi to an Aam Aadmi Social gathering (AAP) candidate.
Badal’s persona loomed massive over the get together and along with his dying, all hopes of a straightforward or early revival of the beleaguered get together appear dashed. Can Sukhbir fill the void that his father’s dying has created? What’s the manner forward for the get together?
ThePrint reached a number of SAD leaders for remark, however all of them declined saying it could be graceless on their half to make any political statements until Badal’s Bhog (remaining prayer) ceremony later this week.
In accordance with Ashutosh Kumar, professor on the division of political science, Panjab College, Chandigarh, a number one professional on SAD politics, “The way forward for Akalis is bleak nevertheless it can not grow to be completely irrelevant as a result of AAP, the BJP and the Congress can not play gurdwara politics even when they need so.”
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Scope of one other BJP-SAD alliance?
Analysts really feel that with SAD’s political fortunes dwindling and the BJP additionally realising it wants a regional ally within the state, the 2 events could come collectively once more, although it might occur on the latter’s phrases. Within the 2022 meeting elections, the BJP combating in alliance with the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress had gained solely two seats.
Professor Pramod Kumar, who heads the Institute of Improvement and Communication, Chandigarh, predicted a coming collectively of the previous allies. “The Amritpal episode [the radical preacher and Khalistan supporter was arrested in April] has proven that Punjab can flip right into a communal tinderbox anytime. Upkeep of peace and communal concord has to grow to be the dominant discourse. Badal’s method of aligning with the BJP succeeded on that rely and there’s a contemporary want for the same setup,” he instructed ThePrint over cellphone.
Pramod added: “The BJP too has realised that it can not come to energy in Punjab with out the assistance of a regional get together. It has experimented with SAD’s breakaway leaders and realised that they had been solely spent forces and that Akali leaders of any consequence and the get together’s cadre stay with the Badals,” he stated.
Calling the BJP high management’s response to Badal’s dying “extraordinary” — Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a glowing tribute to the five-time Punjab CM in an article revealed in The Tribune final week — Pramod stated, “The style by which the Prime Minister has paid homage to Badal reveals that every one will not be misplaced between the 2 events.”
In accordance with him, Badal’s dying has introduced the get together to a “1996 Moga declaration-like second” when “Badal rose from the ashes and realigned the main focus of the get together from panth to Punjabiat. The Akalis once more have to convey the main focus again on Punjab’s financial growth and never return to doing Sikh identification politics, loosely known as panthic politics,” he stated.
Pramod was referring to a conference in 1996, when SAD had handed the ‘ Moga Declaration’, projecting itself because the get together of Punjabis, individuals of all religions in Punjab. This has come to be considered a watershed second within the get together’s historical past, because it marked an ideological shift from its long-time character of a celebration just for the Sikhs.
Nevertheless, Ashutosh Kumar identified that Union minister Hardeep Puri has already dominated out one other BJP-SAD alliance. “If it takes place ever, it is going to be on the BJP’s phrases and never Akalis,” he stated. He was referring to Puri’s outburst final week the place he instructed the media in Jalandhar that he was at all times in opposition to the alliance and nonetheless felt the identical.
Whereas factions aren’t new to the get together, he stated, “additional disintegration underneath Sukhbir’s management will definitely happen. He has a variety of burden to hold and issues will grow to be tougher for him.”
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SAD’s conventional function
In accordance with Dr Amanpreet Singh Gill, affiliate professor at Delhi’s Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa Faculty and creator of Non-Congress politics in Punjab, SAD got here into existence to satisfy a historic function of articulating political aspirations of the Sikhs. “It acted creatively to hyperlink this function with the calls for of regional autonomy. This purpose has not been achieved but. Akali Dal’s function is way from over, no matter its electoral politics,” he stated.
He added that the Akali-BJP (erstwhile Jan Sangh) coalition underneath Badal’s management made a optimistic contribution in the direction of political stability in Punjab.
“This coalition used the paradox of majority as minority and minority as majority to plot a inventive consociational mannequin (the place communities share political energy) of democracy in Punjab. Sikh minority tasted energy within the central authorities and the Punjabi Hindu minority tasted energy within the state,” he stated.
Gill added: “The BJP can’t be widespread amongst rural Sikh plenty. The trail to the guts of rural Sikhs lies by the SAD. The get together’s management over the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages gurdwaras throughout the state, helps it distribute materials and cultural values among the many rural constituencies. With the SGPC, Akali Dal is rarely out of energy.”
Little time left
In the meantime, another specialists really feel SAD has little or no time left to revive its prospects within the state.
Harjeshwar Singh, professor of Historical past at Khalsa Faculty, Chandigarh, stated the window of alternative for Akali Dal to revive itself is brief. “Akali Dal has been in a steady decline since 2015. Its vote financial institution has been diminished to 18 per cent and seats to only three, whereas its all-weather ally BJP has not solely abandoned it however is now poaching Akali leaders with vigour,” he stated.
In accordance with Singh, the get together’s core vote financial institution of rural voters and Sikh has abandoned it over the sacrilege situation and its stance on the contentious farm legal guidelines and it “has been missing in concepts to take it ahead”.
“Its management, Sukhbir and Bikram Majithia, lack the credibility and stature of Badal…The present Akali Dal doesn’t resonate with the younger Punjabis. Akali Dal is way behind within the narrative led by the Aam Aadmi Social gathering and Congress within the state,” he stated.
Singh added that Punjab quickly has a four-horse electoral race which ought to flip right into a two-horse one inside the subsequent two-three elections. “If Akali Dal will not be capable of grow to be a minimum of Quantity 2, it could be virtually curtains for it,” he stated.
The one silver lining, in line with him, is that Sukhbir nonetheless has the get together and sources with him and is thought for his combating spirit, whereas Majithia too is slowly gaining floor.
“Additionally, because the BJP is struggling to achieve a foothold within the state by itself, it might be pressured to ally once more with Akali Dal which might assist the latter however the BJP can be searching for a minimum of parity now as an alternative of a subordinate place,” he added.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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