BJP ally in the state of Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), has taken an about-turn on the issue of Citizenship Amendment Act. The party has also joined the opposition on fear-mongering and fuelling rumours against the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Not only this, the party even demanded an amendment in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha resolution seeking the inclusion of Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan within the purview of the Citizenship Amendment legislation.
Speaking against the NRC, Akali leader, Bikram Singh Majithia said, “We strongly oppose any move like the NRC that forces needless hardships on the common people. We will not support this as it would mean people standing in queues to get their name registered.”
The stand taken by the party on the issue of CAA is even more pathetic and preposterous. The party claimed that it had voted in favour of the legislation in the Parliament because it could not understand what it meant. Only the Akali Dal can explain what is so intricate in the straight-forward legislation that it failed to understand. The lame excuse could barely cover up the malicious political intent behind the sudden U-turn in party’s stance.
The party even congratulated Punjab CM, Amarinder Singh for bringing a resolution against the CAA. Akali Dal legislature party leader, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, also suggested an outrageous amendment and stated, “The party wants the Congress not to oppose the relief given to thousands of Sikhs, but to focus only on securing relief to the Muslims.” It seems that SAD did not understand the CAA after all, or else it would not have made this utterly bizarre suggestion.
With this stand, the SAD has shown that its perceived activism for the welfare of the Sikh community is merely a political tool and not a matter of principle. The party has time and again echoed Sikh sentiments for garnering political popularity and votes. Take, for instance, the Mukherjee Nagar incident last year a Sikh tempo driver in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar had confronted a Delhi Police personnel.
The driver was seen brandishing his oversized kirpan and threatening the officer. Following the incident, a crowd of Sikhs had gheraoed the police station and staged a rather peculiar protest. From videos available on the internet, it was seen that the protestors had raised “Khalistan Zindabad” slogans.
However, what came as a bigger shock was the fact that Delhi MLA and Akali Dal leader had come out in support of the tempo driver. His intervention only caused unnecessary communalisation it the matter. He even campaigned vociferously against the Delhi Police personnel.
Paying obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Rakab Ganj Sahib with Sarabjit Singh, the tempo traveller and his son. We are proud to fight for justice for him. Thanking Guru Sahib for giving us the strength and unity 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/TBlP6AK8Sj
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (मोदी का परिवार) (@mssirsa) June 17, 2019
While the Akali Dal came out in the support of a tempo driver, whose confrontation with police personnel did not even bear a link with his religious identity, the party has abandoned the Sikh community when it mattered the most. Out of all persecuted minorities in Pakistan and also Afghanistan, the Sikhs are probably the worst affected. The CAA seeks to correct decades of hardships borne by the Sikh community in those countries. However, the Akali Dal has simply turned its back on the Sikh community.
Incidentally, SAD’s opposition to the CAA comes only days after the disturbing events of an attack on Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan. A Muslim mob had laid siege of the Gurudwara Janamsthaan and also indulged in vandalism and stone pelting at the holiest of Sikh shrines. Moreover, the leader of this mob was also seen threatening to raze down the Gurudwara and evict every single Sikh from Nankana Sahib. He further threatened to rename the town with an Islamic name– Ghulam-e-Mustafa.
The manner in which Akali Dal has abandoned Sikhs is a good enough reason for the BJP to break ties with the party. The party is a burden anyway. It could secure only 15 seats during the 2017 Assembly Polls in Punjab. Akali Dal continued its miserable run in the Lok Sabha polls last year and won only two seats. The party still secured a cabinet berth in the Modi cabinet. But when the party should have stood with the Modi government and also the Sikh community succumbed to political pressure.
The SAD is also battling infighting, which shows that the party is a mere liability. Last year, SAD leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had raised questions about the procedure for electing the party president. There is a growing sentiment against the Badal family within the SAD, which has led to bitter infighting in the party.
Given its declining popularity, it is the SAD which desperately needs the BJP and not the other way round. By taking a U-turn on the CAA and NRC, SAD has tried to arm-twist the BJP. Now, its time for the BJP to show the SAD its place.
