Hyderabad: NDA's oldest and the most trusted ally Shiromani Akali Dal has quit NDA on the charges that they were not consulted on crucial Farm Ordinance Bills, which were passed by the Parliament and later approved by the President.
This was followed by the resignation of the Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal but that was not convincing enough to satisfy the protesting farmers in Punjab.
Ruling Congress alleged that Harsimrat's resignation was on expected lines but it served no purpose to safeguard the interest of the farming sector.
Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Aam Adami party kept pressure tactics on and challenged Akali Dal to walk out of the alliance if they really cared for the well-being of the farmers.
After day-long deliberations of its Political Affairs Committee (PAC), Akali Dal made the final call. They quit the NDA alliance and snapped the ties with the BJP, a coalition which was assiduously stitched together in 1997 by BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Punjab chief minister, Prakash Singh Badal.
MSP matters for Punjab
While the farming bills were passed by the ruling NDA in the parliament, they did not realise what MSP meant for the farmers in Punjab.
In Punjab, good harvest ensures good political dividend, in a way, electoral gains are considered directly proportional to good produce. Farmers in the state always reward the ruling party for ensuring good MSP for their crops.
Punjab has one of the best Mandi systems in the country, where village road are directly linked to the market.
Work for the marketing of agricultural produces started in United Punjab in as early as 1939, when Sir Chotu Ram, as the development minister, got the APMC Act passed, paving the way for setting up of market committees.
Leaders in 1960s and 70s realised that for capital and technology-intensive agriculture, the advance guarantee of high yielding produce was need of the hour. Concept of MSP is not new to Punjab as the MSP for wheat was fixed for the first time in 1966-67 at Rs 54 per quintal, which was later revised to Rs 70 next year.
Farm sector too crucial for political parties
The state election is due in 2022 but Akali Dal can afford to earn the wrath of farmers who are up in arms against the very idea of discontinuing the MSP regime. (Though the Centre has denied that they want to do away with MSP). Punjab's 65 per cent of the population is directly involved with the agricultural activities and ignoring their interest is no easy task.
Just to woo the farmers, the state government gives a power subsidy worth Rs 10,000 crores every year. This issue has become politically so sensitive that no party can advocate against withdrawals of free power now. Now, why all the parties are protesting in against the farm bill is not difficult to understand.
Akali leaders after the PAC meeting said that they were hurt with the slow death of democracy within the BJP as they didn't take their advice on key issues like what would be the fate of farming sector once MSP is rolled back and APMC is unbundled completely.
Former union minister Harsimrat Badal said that she was not consulted on the farm ordinance bill during the cabinet meeting.
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Akali-BJP coalition
Senior Akali leader Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra says that when no party touched the BJP's hand, Akali Dal supported them. At the centre, BJP was considered to be an elder brother and in Punjab, Akali Dal was acting as elder brother where Prakash Singh Badal's was the real custodian of the coalition.
His words were final when it came to solving the teething problem within the BJP-SAD coalition.
In Punjab, power swung in favour of the Akalis when BJP performed better, the coalition junior partner has been a lucky charm, for the last 22 years, they have been sinking and sailing together.
But worst came in 2017 state election when Shiromani Akali Dal touched a historical low and could manage to win only 15 seats, even less than the Aam Aadmi Party. Ten years rule of Akali Dal was marred by corruption charges against the coalition government aided by the deaths due to rampant sale and use of cosmetic drugs. Akali leaders were blamed for patronising drug cartel in Punjab, which was later probed by the ED also. Top Akali leaders were accused of charges after due investigation but it could not retrieve their lost glory in the state, which is dominated by influential jat farmers, whose faith was also deeply embedded to Panthic politics.
Panthic votes too important for Akali Dal:
Akali's reputation as defenders of Sikh faith came under lense following the firing on Sikh devotees in October 2015, who were protesting against sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
On 20 November 2015, Punjab cabinet approved an amendment in the Section 295A of IPC, which carried a maximum sentence of life in prison, for the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib.
Those who watch the political development in Punjab agree on the count that Akali Dal has been on a slippery ground since then. Many tall Panthic leaders have deserted the Akali Dal and formed a new amalgamation, directly challenging the control of the Badal family.
The hardliners within the Panthic fold have gained the ground since 2015 and acceptance of Akali leaders in rural areas slowly declining.
Akali Dal, which used to hold sway in Malwa belt of Punjab, (having 65 assembly seats), lost ground to Aam Adami Party, which was primarily a Delhi-based party.
Role of NRI Sikhs was also crucial in mobilising Panthic leaders, who were averse to Akali Dal's continued hold on SGPC. (Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, manages the administration and functioning of Gurudwaras across the country)
When in trouble, Akali Dal goes back to Gurudwara politics and this is no secret that Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal is trying to reinvent himself.
Farmers are the backbone of Punjab politics and it would have been impossible for Akali Dal to stay afloat in the NDA fold.
This is too early to say that the late retreat by 100 years old Akali Dal from the NDA fold will help it gain lost ground but nonetheless this is no less than the course correction. But there is no guarantee that this ensure reversal of fortune for Akali Dal.
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