Updated: October 7, 2020 7:21:11 am
Sukhbir Badal at the Idea Exchange on Tuesday
Shiromani Akali Dal Chairman and MP Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Tuesday that the BJP had been cold allies since winning a gross majority in 2019, and from the India-China standoff, to controversial legislation such as the Citizenship Law. (Amendment) and the recent farm bills the Modi government did not take them in confidence.
However, he declined to comment on whether the BJP’s actions were a sign of their “arrogance”, saying: “I don’t want to get into this … We still have personal relationships with them … The prime minister made some very good decisions too. “.
Warning the BJP of a similar fate to Congress if it continues its attitude towards regional allies, Badal said in an Idea Exchange session with The Indian Express, “The country’s success has been that different voices from different regions are heard, and It is very important to have regional forces as part of the whole system. The moment you start to dominate everything, you see things fall apart … We try (to the end) to save this alliance. “
Badal said that the SAD supported the BJP even when it only had two deputies in the Lok Sabha. “My father had a very good relationship with all the BJP leaders. Even I had a very good relationship and I still have personal relationships. But, yes, there has been a change … In our case, we were never consulted about the agricultural laws ”.
the SAD resigned from the NDA while Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned as Union Minister of State after the bills were passed, sparking protests from farmers across Punjab.
Badal said the NDA had not held a meeting in six years, since he first came to power in 2014. “I don’t recall them calling the leadership of Akali Dal, the leadership of Shiv Sena (who broke away earlier). (There have been no discussions on) How to move the alliance forward, what problems do we have, how do we solve them … Even when the AAC was approved and the decision on Article 370 was made, we were not part of it. ” Badal said.
At a protest in Patiala
When asked if the SAD could realign with the BJP in the future, Badal categorically said “no”. On his earlier claim that the SAD-BJP alliance was necessary for communal peace and harmony in Punjab, he said: “The Congress we feel has ruined this nation … From Emergency to other areas, the attack on the Golden Temple, whatever happened in Punjab, they were the main cause of trouble for us. So we formed the alliance … My father is considered the most moderate Sikh leader of all time and we have always fought for harmony, and that is why there was a motto of harmony ”. The SAD-BJP together have done a great job in Punjab, he added.
Talking about the new farm lawsBadal said: “These are not only related to farmers. The farmer is connected with the arhtiya (commission agent), who is an integral part of his family, and with the agricultural worker and other employees, even the merchants … And in Punjab, every inch of land is agriculture and is based on agriculture , and all these years since Independence, we have developed one of the best infrastructures so that we can feed the nation ”.
At a protest in Jalandhar. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)
Badal called the farm laws “populist” and said: “They may be good for other states, I don’t know. They are not good for our state … And if you look at it, most of the laws are made with Uttar Pradesh, Bihar in mind, where most of the MPs come from … Has a law ever been enacted to Nagaland or the Northeast? Punjab has only 13 people (MPs). “
On a question about the Anandpur Sahib resolution dating back to 1973, Badal, stressing that federalism be strengthened and states be given more autonomy, said: “That time everyone thought we are anti-national. Today all states ask the same ”.
On Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s statements that Pakistan’s ISI agency can take advantage of the unrest caused by agricultural laws, Badal said: “Yes, we are a border state… that does not mean that ISI can take all. The people of Punjab want peace. Terrorism can only flourish when it has motive … Hindus have been visiting golden temples and Sikhs are visiting temples. “
Badal spoke at the Idea Exchange, a series of discussions with people at the center of change.
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