© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Commandeering his first Lok Sabha election without his father, the late Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, by his side or the BJP as an ally, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal is maintaining a blistering pace in Punjab. In rally after rally, he targets the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s “jhooth da pand (sack of lies)”, reminds the audience of the Operation Bluestar ordered in the Golden Temple by a Congress government, and declares that, no matter what, one should not vote for a “polarising” BJP.
In between two rallies at Faridkot, he tells The Indian Express that SAD, India’s oldest regional party, is confident of a revival in these polls, following its poorest-ever showing in the 2022 Assembly elections. Excerpts:
* Why did SAD not join any alliance this time? How is it playing out on the ground?
I’m very clear: I can’t enter into unprincipled alliances. After we supported the farmers’ agitation, the BJP started systematically attacking our institutions, such as Takht Patna Sahib and Takht Hazoor Sahib, by wresting control. What was the need to change the Takht Hazoor Sahib Act? They also dismantled the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in Haryana.
Also, national parties contest in Punjab for the numbers. They act as conquerors, almost in the same vein as the East India Company. Our interest is the welfare of Punjab. Akali means Punjab, Punjabis and Sikhs. Akalis are secular, as Sikhs by nature are secular. Look at our Gurus, they sacrificed their lives to protect others.
We need peace and communal harmony in Punjab. We went through a terrible phase in the state, and can’t let it happen again. That’s why we decided to build on our strength instead of joining hands with anyone. In this election, all other parties are outsiders. We are homegrown, and people will choose us.
* Your party fared poorly in the last Assembly polls, winning just three out of 117 seats.
You will see a drastic change. We will see a big rise in our vote percentages, regardless of the number of seats we win. The people of Punjab have realised that the Akali Dal is their only bet.
I have been in the field ever since I started the Punjab Bachao Yatra on February 1. This is my third rally of the day. Look at the huge crowds I’m drawing in this blistering heat. I’m the only party leader who is canvassing at this hectic pace. Name any other party leader who is doing this.
* Is the heat and sweat a dampener?
Heat is an advantage for the Akali Dal. The hotter it is, the more our soldiers come out. The BJP scheduled the seats in Punjab in the last phase because it thought parties would break and more turncoats would join it. But we are intact. Mark my words, Bhagwant Mann will split the party (Aam Aadmi Party) after the elections and join hands with the BJP.
* Is the Ram Temple affecting Punjab voters?
The Hindus of Punjab are different. Look at the attendance at places of worship in Punjab, and you will see why it’s impossible to divide Punjabis along religious lines. You will see Sikhs worshipping at the Kali Mata temple in Patiala and both Hindus and Sikhs praying at mazars and mosques in Malerkotla. And the entire Punjab worships at the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple).
* Your take on the BJP’s claim of reaching the 400-seat target?
I can see panic in their party. Otherwise, why would the PM stoop so low as to talk about saving mangalsutras?
The BJP has become so desperate in the state that they are asking temple workers to seek votes for them.
* How difficult is it to hold on to a cadre when you are out of power?
You can’t have a better and stronger cadre than that of the Akali Dal. They don’t mind adversity.
* BJP leaders like J P Nadda have been saying that there is no room for dynastic regional parties, citing the Akali Dal, Shiv Sena as examples.
What is dynastic politics? Are these leaders not elected? The BJP now wants to remain in power forever. So is it okay to have a dictatorship? Is it okay if someone is winning for 20-30 years? Just look at the way the BJP is now reneging on its ‘retirement age’ of 75 years.
There is no such thing as dynastic politics. People could have faith in a family, and that is true even in the US. Look at the Bush, Biden families.
What is dangerous is the way the BJP is taking unilateral decisions without giving space to others. Dalits feel that if the BJP comes back with a brute majority, they will wipe out reservations.
* In your manifesto, you have spoken of strengthening federalism.
That is part of India’s Constitution. When PM Modi was the CM, he was a vocal supporter of federalism. But now everything is being centralised. With GST kicking in, states have been reduced to municipalities.
* How do you see NSA detainee Amritpal Singh entering the elections as a candidate?
It’s a dangerous game. Does anybody know who he is, where he has come from, what was he doing? One year ago, a clean-shaven person landed in India. Within six months, a drama is enacted to transform him into a spiritual leader. You (the state and Central governments) allow the whole game to continue before nabbing him. And now you have the Dibrugarh jail superintendent calling up the returning officer to clear his (Amritpal’s) nomination papers. Polarising people of this border state is a dangerous game, which should not be played.
* The farmers still seem to be angry…
How can you stop the farmers from going to Delhi?
* Do you regret not patching up with the BJP?
Have you seen the BJP today? It has been consumed by the Congress. Look at their list of candidates and look at ours. We have two Brahmin candidates, and both will win.
* Is there a credible shadow of Khalistan on the polls?
They are ‘weekend Khalistanis’; they have their own agenda. The number of Sikhs living outside Punjab in other states is perhaps more than those in the state. For Sikhs, India is our homeland; this is our country. People of Punjab want peace and development.
