After Lok Sabha Elections 2014, BJP Fights Allies in Punjab, Haryana

After Lok Sabha Elections 2014, BJP Fights Allies in Punjab, Haryana

CHANDIGARH: At a time when the BJP seeks to conquer new grounds in the Assembly-poll bound states, the party seems to be having difficulties in keeping its old allies in line. While the saffron party is being cold-shouldered by its ally the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab, its alliance with the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) is on the verge of collapse in Haryana as both the parties are planning to go it alone in the coming Assembly elections. 

The cold war between the BJP and SAD is out in the open now. Differences have grown over the Lok Sabha poll results and issues such as electricity, mining and drug mafia. The BJP leaders feel that the BJP-SAD alliance will not get the required numbers to form government this time because of the strong anti-incumbency factor against the state government. They also allege that the SAD is not taking the BJP into confidence while taking crucial decisions.

Sources said that at a recent meeting of the state BJP, some leaders were of the view that the party should pull out of the SAD-BJP Government and offer support from the outside. Last week, a slugfest between senior Akali Dal and BJP leaders started when BJP leader and former cabinet minister Balaramji Dass Tandon objected to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi without the knowledge of the state leaders of the saffron party.

SAD general secretary Maheshinder Singh Grewal said, “No one can decide when and how the CM or the deputy CM meets the PM. They will continue to do so, as and when required.”Tandon said he did not challenge the CM’s prerogative to meet the PM, adding that it would have been better if the CM had taken the BJP leaders along as well. A seven-member committee of the BJP, headed by Tandon, was set up after the Lok Sabha polls to look into the reasons behind the alliance’s poor performance in the state.

The report is said to focus on how the state government’s policies have alienated the voters, especially urban voters, traders and industrialists. The report, to be submitted to Punjab BJP affairs in-charge Shanta Kumar, cites harassment of traders due to delays in refund of value added tax, imposition of property tax, sand and drug mafia issues for the poor poll performance of the alliance. Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma admitted that there were some differences between the two parties. “It is an internal matter of the alliance partners. The issue has been sorted out as I met the CM Badal in this regard,” he said.

Kumar said, “The performance of the Punjab Government is not up to the mark. After receiving the Tandoon Committee report, we will do what needs to be done to improve matters. The party’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections in the state was not as expected. This was due to the poor performance of the state government.”

But equations have also changed since the alliance formed the government in 2012. Back then, the SAD had 57 MLAs and fell short of the majority figure. It needed the support of 12 BJP MLAs to form the government. However, the SAD has won two by elections in the state, increasing its strength to 59 in the 117-member Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

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Sources said that the BJP-HJC alliance is on the verge of collapse in Haryana.   Last week, the saffron party slapped new terms on the HJC. It has asked the HJC to compromise seat share from 45-45 to 25-65 in favour of the BJP and also turned down HJC chief Kuldeep Bishnoi’s demand for him to be projected as alliance’s CM candidate.

Though the alliance has not come apart yet, both the BJP and HJC have instructed their party cadre to be prepared to contest elections from all the 90 seats independently. In the recent LS polls, the BJP won seven of the eight seats it contested, while the HJC lost both the seats it contested.

source:http://www.newindianexpress.com/

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