Jat, seriously

The Punjab BJP is veering around to the idea of having a Jat Sikh as president. And guess who has the most problems? Ally Akali Dal, which fears the BJP may take away its rural vote bank with the move.

The three-year term of BJP state chief Brij Lal Rinwa is set to expire and the party had fixed September 29 as the date of election of its next president. National vice-president of the BJP Kisan Morcha Harjit Singh Grewal is being touted as Rinwa8217;s possible successor.

However, the move has run into a problem with the Akali Dal which views appointment of a Jat Sikh as intrusion into its voter base. At a recent meeting with the senior BJP leadership, the Akali Dal expressed its preference for a non-Sikh candidate so that the rural Sikh base of the Akali Dal could be complemented by the urban Hindu base of the BJP. Barring Chiranji Lal Garg from Bathinda, the Akali Dal has stuck to its Jat Sikh base.