Akali hawks unlikely to get Badal to withdraw support to NDA

They further argued that even the commitment given by Union Home Minister L.K. Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes — that the sugarcane-growing tehsils of UP will also be merged with Udham Singh Nagar — has also not been honoured. In fact, the Uttarakhand Bill passed by the Lok Sabha earlier in the week, makes absolutely no mention of this provision. Even the oral commitment given by Advani in this regard has not been translated into action.

The BJP leadership is now reportedly telling the Akalis that the boundary committee — which will be formed after the Bill is approved by both Houses of Parliament — will take corrective measures in accordance with the Government’s assurances in Parliament.

The hawks in the SAD, however, are unwilling to buy this argument. They want Union Minister for Sports and Mines S.S. Dhindsa to quit the Vajpayee Government and are also pressing the Akali Dal (B) to withdraw support to the NDA. These leaders also argue that the party’s PAC had unanimously passed a resolution in September 1998 that the Akali Dal (B) would withdraw support from the government if Udham Singh Nagar does not remain with Punjab.

These hawks also have the tacit support of the Akali Dal (Tohra) faction which was part of the Badal’s party until a few years ago. Their game plan is simple — to ensure that Badal snaps ties with the NDA and becomes vulnerable in the state since this would compel the BJP to withdraw support to the Badal government in Punjab. And once this happens, Badal would be sitting on a razor-thin majority of just two MLAs in a House of 117.

But Badal’s new strategy just might pre-empt the PAC’s move and tame the hawks at tomorrow’s meeting. Sources say Badal and Advani have mutually decided that the Punjab CM will tell the PAC that the purpose of its September resolution was to protect the interests of the mostly-Sikh farmers of Udham Singh Nagar. And now that the district has gone to Uttarakhand, Sikhs will be able to dominate the political scene in the newly-carved out state, where as many as 10 MLAs will represent the district in the Assembly.

Badal is also to inform the PAC of his talks with central BJP leaders and others. He is likely to point out to the PAC that the Centre had also waived the farmers’ loans and interests running into over Rs 1,000 crore for the current fiscal.