Akali rally showcases Badal son, BJP backs him

The setting reflected both the spirit and the purpose of the grand show organised by Sukhbir in New Delhi within weeks of his installation as SAD president in far-off Amritsar. Hoardings dotting the route of rally as well as Ramlila Maidan projected Sukhbir larger than everyone else, even his father and BJP luminaries ranging from Atal Behari Vajpayee and L K Advani to Rajnath Singh. The Akali symbol of scales occupied just one corner at the bottom and the BJP lotus the other — conveying the message that he belongs equally to both. The colours said it too — the saffron of the BJP evenly blended with the blue of Akali Dal to form giant screens on the sides of the venue.

There was another side to the transition too. The prefixes differentiating Badal senior from his son till now disappeared — Sukhbir was no longer “kakaji”; he was addressed as “Sardar”, like his father, by every speaker. Reflecting the spirit of Akali Dal general house on January 31, when known detractors of Sukhbir proposed and seconded his name for presidency, senior Akali leaders used most imaginative expressions to hail the new leader. Balvinder Singh Bhundar described him as the Akali chief of the 21st century. For SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar, Sukhbir was “the heartbeat of Akali workers”. “Panth’s jarnail,” said one speaker.

If organisers had meticulously strategised all arrangements, the participants, too, had come prepared for the occasion, fully alive to the demands on them. “Please raise your flags in response to the slogans,” the man conducting the proceedings said before Sukhbir began his speech.

Hundreds of hands holding small flag masts went up alongside full-throated “jo bole so nihal.” The compere made a special mention of Harsmirat Kaur Badal, who was seated on the podium, for “special efforts made by her for the rally”. Sukhbir, however, chose to display humility rather than belligerence even while criticising the Centre. “I can turn the tide of waves if you bestow your blessings on my head,” he said. Only once did he get aggressive, when he said: “I want to caution the Centre that if they form a separate SGPC for Haryana, they will have to confront the Sikhs.”

Rajnath Singh readily supported the three-point charter of demands jointly made by Sukhbir and Punjab BJP president Rajinder Bhandari to the Prime Minister. The demands include a Rs 36,000 crore package for the remission of farm loans and augmentation of irrigation, tax holiday for industry and an immediate halt to Haryana Government move to set up a separate SGPC in the state.

In his speech, Parkash Singh Badal traced the history of Akalis’ sacrifices since 1920 and said “successive Congress Governments have tried to rub us the wrong way”. He said Akalis had suffered political vendetta. He also warned the Congress against any interference in the religious affairs of Sikhs.

Turning to Rajnath, he said: “Your party is big. Please tell the Prime Minister not to grab SGPC. If they do it, they will have to face the consequences.” He declared: “The Khalsa resolves to take up something after a lot of forethought, but after that, it never pulls back.” The CM concluded his speech by extending his “thanks” to Rajnath and “congratulations” to Sukhbir. After the BJP’s show of solidarity, the Badals have a reason to celebrate and congratulate one another.

Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral was also present.