There is a long history behind Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) decision to sever ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
According to the Hindustan Times’ sister publication Hindustan, SAD was upset that it was ignored by the government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Center. There are about half a dozen cases where SAD did not get the sport it had hoped for from its longtime ally.
The most recent was the Center’s decision to make Kashmir, Dogri, and Hindi the official languages of Jammu and Kashmir. SAD wanted Punjabi to be included on the list, as there is a substantial portion of Punjabi-speaking people in the region. The party’s head, Sukhbir Singh Badal, even wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the request was not taken into account, Hindustan said.
SAD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral told Hindustan that it was not a big problem and that it was also logical, but that the party’s request was ignored.
Similarly, the Lok Sabha passed the Interstate River Water Dispute Bill (Amendment) even though SAD opposed it. The bill seeks to resolve disputes over river water within a stipulated period of time. SAD believes that water destined for Punjab can go to other states. However, the bill has yet to receive the go-ahead from Rajya Sabha.
Another reason for the split, according to Hindustan, is that a single SAD legislator in Haryana Balkaur Singh joined the BJP. The party blames the BJP for this and feels that the alliance rules were broken.
There were also differences between the two during last year’s Lok Sabha elections. SAD wanted to compete for the Amritsar and Hoshiarpur seats, but the BJP disagreed. The SAD has also complained that the Center never received the advice of the party patron Parkash Singh Badal, who it says is the highest peasant leader.
SAD leaders have also said that although they were the oldest members of the NDA, they were never consulted on important issues in recent years. The SAD also said that the NDA parties meet before a session of Parliament, but those meetings are strictly on the session’s agenda, according to Hindustan.
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