Badal Sr puts up brave front, son Sukhbir remains safe as party chief

Sukhbir, who lost from Jalalabad, chaired the meeting, which was not attended by veterans Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Tota Singh and Balwinder Singh Bhunder.

94-year-old Badal Sr, a member of core committee who had been continuously remaining away from such meetings after SAD finished third in 2017 elections, attended the meeting.

In his signature style, Badal who has a history of honouring the timeline of his programmes, reached party office minutes ahead of the meeting. Responding to media, Badal, who himself lost to AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Khudian from his (Badal’s) bastion of Lambi, said “We bow our head before the verdict given by the public. No other party fought for interests of Punjab like Akali Dal”.

To another question on successive defeats of Akali Dal in 2017 and 2022, Badal said, “The party will tell why Akali Dal lost two elections.. There are ups and downs in political parties at times. After the emergency, we had won all seats. It was our wave during the emergency”.

SAD member in Rajya Sabha and senior party leader Bhunder said there was eventually an AAP wave due to the pre-poll promises made by the party.

A spokesperson of SAD said Sukhbir would shortly announce a committee to look into party’s poll debacle and the reasons behind it.

The names of members of the committee and its strength were not declared in party’s press conference.
A number of Akali leaders who are part of core committee and who attended the meeting said that it was emphasized that party should have put in more efforts to win back the popular support.

For the time being however, majority of the members hailed Sukhbir for making “an all out effort” for the SAD and “hitting the ground more than six months before the elections.”

Sikander Singh Maluka, who lost from Rampura Phul, said, “Tell me which other leader is the alternative to Sukhbir Badal to head as SAD chief?”

Jagir Kaur, who lost to Sukhpal Singh Khaira of Congress from Bholath, said a couple of days before the results, it was being projected that “it would be either Akali Dal government or hung assembly, but there was [AAP] Tsunami. Pradhan Sahib (Sukhbir ) worked very hard across the constituencies and could not focus on his own constituency due to which he suffered.”

Sukhbir’s fate as SAD president hangs in balance, as party leaders and activists converge in Chandigarh in next two days to give feedback on party’s worst ever performance.

A former MLA who had been on winning streak as Akali nominee but lost to AAP candidate in February 20 elections said, “People hated Badal family. We thought that Sukhbir worked hard to revive the party. But, that was not to be. We had to pay for anger against Badals,” said the Akali leader, who is not part of party’s core committee.

Another Akali leader said Sukhbir was “mum” when it was pointed out that party needed resurrection after humiliating defeat in 2017 elections when it could only 15 seats.

During the meeting, Badal was learnt to have batted for raising the issues of inclusion of Punjabi speaking areas into Punjab and opposing the proposed restructuring of Bhakra Beas Management Board.
A number of the core committee members said party was decimated “due to populist promises announced by AAP” and “shift in Congress votes to AAP due to anti-incumbency”.

Former Lok Sabha MP Prem Singh Chandumajra who was among those who attended the core committee meeting said the high level party panel would look into the causes of Akali Dal’s debacle.

Sukhbir did not offer to resign, Chandumajra said. “But, he said, he will go by what the party decides. Resignation was not the solution, but finding the causes of defeat was. There has been shortcoming for the party rout and that is what party panel will look into it.” Chandumajra attributed the party’s debacle to “collective responsibility taken by the all”.

Asked whether there was demand from anyone for change of guard in the party due to two successive defeats, Chandumajra answered in negative.

Meanwhile, in a press release, party stated “Shiromani Akali Dal Core Committee today unanimously expressed full faith and pride in the firm and far sighted leadership of the party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.”

“The Core Committee is especially proud of the brave, selflesss and tireless manner in which the [SAD] president led the party from the front in true panthic traditions during the six-month long campaign for the just concluded poll for the Punjab Vidhan Sabha,” said a resolution passed at the Core Committee meeting.