can-sukhbir-redeem-akali-space-in-punjab

Sukhbir Badal has opened yet another political battlefront. This time against his long-time ally, the BJP. It is strange that someone in his situation is trying to burn even the last bridge, he can otherwise fall back upon. He cannot go with the Congress.

 

He cannot go with the Aam Aadmi Party. And now, the way he and his supporters are speaking against the BJP and the RSS, he is shutting the last door as well. Sukhbir must retreat to re-strategise to eventually redeem himself and his party. High time, he sees the writing on the wall. 

 

By now, the Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal president Sukhbir Singh Badal should have realised that the ‘panthic/Akali’ space in Punjab is not shrinking. It is very much there. What is shrinking and eroding is Badal’s influence over the panthic/Akali ‘constituency’.

 

The resignation of the Banga MLA, Dr Sukhi is the most unexpected and the worst thing that could have happened to Sukhbir Badal. Dr Sukhi is known to be a balanced and pragmatic politician. He will not go after power out of any personal greed. But, as a public representative, who has to work for the people, it is not easy to remain perpetually in the opposition.

 

Obviously he did not see anything better happening within the Sukhbir-led Akali Dal and he simply opted out. 

Growing radicalism?

 

The very fact that radical preacher Amritpal Singh and Sarabjeet Singh, the son of Indira Gandhi’s assassin got elected to the parliament from the Khadoor Sahib and Faridkot parliamentary constituencies is an indication that the panthic/Akali constituency remains intact. 

 

And also to assume that all those who voted for Amritpal or Sarabjeet are radically inclined, will be too simplistic reading of the situation. In fact, Sarabjeet has never spoken or indicated anything that should identify him as a radical event. He has seen the trials and tribulations after he lost both of his parents within six years during the militancy era. 

 

His father, Beant Singh, a personal security guard of Ms Indira Gandhi was immediately shot dead after he assassinated her, and his mother Bimal Kaur Khalsa also died within six years. The kids, including Sarabjeet, who were at a tender age, were orphaned and virtually disowned. He is on record as having said that he will not speak about anything that may lead to any clash with the law. 

 

Yes, his voters supported him, more because they were completely and continuously disillusioned with the traditional parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party, which has ended up as more “traditional” than the other existing traditional parties. 

 

Amritpal’s mother also went on record to say that her son was not a Khalistan supporter. Her statement was claimed to have been refuted by Amritpal, who is in Dibrugarh jail. The denial came through secondary sources.

Alliance with the BJP

 

Sukhbir Badal and his supporters need to understand that the people who have rebelled against his leadership, cannot be dismissed as mere “agents of agencies” and those of the BJP and the RSS. They have always been staunch Akalis and Sukhbir’s hardcore supporters. 

 

And for that matter, Sukhbir has himself been a strong ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party and by consequence that of the RSS as well. Those who know Sukhbir personally, vouch that he is personally not in favour of opening up a front against the RSS and the BJP, as he cannot keep on fighting on multiple political battlefronts. He cannot go along with the Congress. He cannot go along with the AAP and now he is being made to shut his doors on the BJP as well. 

The Akalis', no more rulers of Punjab

 

It is more than clear that Sukhbir-led Akali Dal, as of now, is in no position to reclaim the political space that has eroded. The 2024 General Elections were an indication when his party ended up fourth in terms of the vote share, getting a mere 13 per cent, five per cent behind the BJP which got over 18 per cent. 

 

There is a silver lining for the Akali Dal that about 13 per cent of votes, Sarabjeet and Amritpal polled together, are mostly the traditional and hardcore Akali voters, who can neither vote for the Congress nor the AAP and the BJP. This amply indicates that the Akali/Panthic vote share remains intact at around 25 per cent, almost the same as that of the AAP and the Akalis in the 2024 General Elections. 

 

This is also a fact that Sukhbir may not be the tallest leader in the Akali Dal, right now like his father Parkash Singh Badal, Surjeet Singh Barnala or Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa or Gurcharan Singh Tohra. But, right now there is no taller leader than him either. There is a lot of cynicism that in case Sukhbir “gets aside”, the Akali Dal in its current form may not survive. And there is a strong possibility of that. Sukhbir can hold together the “dedicated cadre”, no matter how small it may be right now.  

 

Sukhbir’s only competitor in popularity is his own brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia, who otherwise is his (Sukhbir’s) strong and most dependable ally right now.

The Badals' harsh reality

The harsh reality is that there is a definite “perception” against the “Badals” in person. Sukhbir Badal needs to understand that. He can move aside for a while and hand over the party’s reins to someone reliable, something like the Gandhis did by handing over the party’s command to Mallikarjun Kharge while retaining complete control in their own hands. 

 

The plight of the Sukhbir-led Akali Dal right now is similar to that of the Congress before the 2024 General Elections. Although the party did not recover much even in 2024, having doubled its number of MPs has given it some hope and a breather. So much so, that Rahul Gandhi and his supporters have declared it to be the “Congress” victory. 

 

The only solution to the current crisis in the Akali Dal remains in the hands of Sukhbir Badal. Only he can bail the party and himself out. “Retreat” is an important thing in any battle. “Retreat” does not mean complete withdrawal. Sukhbir should retreat to re-strategise to redeem his and his party’s position. The public mood is never permanent. It only needs some cathartic moments, which Sukhbir is avoiding to provide for the reasons best known to him and his advisers and much to his disadvantage. 

 

The sooner he does it, the better it would be for him and his party and consequently for the Panth as well as Punjab. Akali Dal is an integral part of the Panth and Punjab. 

 

Nobody can wish that away. Akali Dal is not merely a political party, it is much more than that and that is why everyone, who wishes well for the Panth, Punjab and the country will always be concerned about the fate of the second oldest political party in the country.