Sunil Jakhar’s resignation sparks rifts in Punjab BJP, intensifying political battles ahead of bypolls.
Chandigarh: The Punjab BJP is in a state of internal strife as State President, Sunil Jakhar declared to the media that he had resigned from the presidency and had kept himself away from campaigns for the upcoming bypolls.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Badal and Panthic politics received a nod from Jakhar, which only poured petrol on a fire brewing in the party. BJP Kisan Morcha National Secretary Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal criticised the decisions of Jakhar and questioned his loyalty towards the party.
He stated in a social media post, ‘Jakhar Sahib, whenever there is a war, the army generals do not show their backs and run exposed. The Bharatiya Janata Party gave you a respectable position in Punjab, but instead of fulfilling this responsibility, you probably tried to help other people in a secret manner.’
Grewal was most outraged over Jakhar’s timing, as Jakhar announced his resignation just six days before the bypolls for four Assembly seats in Punjab.
‘If you had clarified everything earlier, by now the party would have appointed a capable leader to the post of state president and the party would have been moving towards its goal’, said Grewal who was targeting Jakhar and SAD leaders for betraying senior leaders and every BJP worker.
Bypolls in the absence of the SAD have also sparked debate. Jakhar surprised everyone when he issued a call for revival of the Akali Dal and described it as essential to Punjab’s political fabric and urged the Akal Takht, the highest Sikh religious body, to reprimand guilty individuals while safeguarding the Panthic party. The Akal Takht has recently branded Sukhbir Badal as a ‘tankhaiya’ for the actions that took place during his government’s tenure, including the pardon extended by him to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, and the mishandling of the sacrilege cases in 2015. This declaration bars Badal from political activities, and becomes a major factor in the SAD’s decision to stay away from the bypolls.
As BJP tries to fill the vacuum left by its erstwhile ally, Kewal Dhillon, the party’s candidate for Barnala boasted of his credentials as a former Congress MLA when Parkash Singh Badal was the Chief Minister. In his latest social media post, Dhillon complimented Parkash Singh Badal on his statesmanship and said he was a ‘true statesman’ who respected the core values of Assembly members-one that has been totally lacking in politics now. This theme of nostalgia by Dhillon for Badal’s era is considered part of the BJP strategy to bring in voters who were once a stronghold of the SAD.
Other BJP leaders, including Manpreet Singh Badal, former nephew of Parkash Singh Badal, have invoked the legacy of the former Chief Minister in rallies in SAD-dominated areas like Barnala and Gidderbaha. Manpreet, who had joined BJP last year, has positioned himself as a contrast to Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, a defector from SAD to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He had fond memories of Parkash Singh Badal, how his uncle loved Gidderbaha, the place where his political career initiated in 1967. Manpreet, along with candidates Ravi Karan Kahlon from Chabbewal and Sohan Singh Thandal from Dera Baba Nanak, similarly aligned himself with the legacy of SAD, which signalled BJP to appeal to former SAD supporters.
AAP promptly reacted, and accused BJP of having unwritten ties SAD. The spokesperson of AAP, Neel Garg dismissed attempts of BJP as ‘lip service’.
‘If Sukhbir was reprimanded by the Akal Takht and yet Akali Dal leaders could contest the by-elections, it proves that their intention was not genuine in the first place,’ said Garg.
‘We’re not scared; zero plus zero equals zero,’ Garg said, reminding the people of Punjab that they will not forget the 750 farmers who lost their lives during the 2020 farm law protests and BJP’s perceived anti-farmer stand. AAP declares it is strong in all four bypoll seats.
Congress, too, has echoed the same sentiments, as spokesperson Arshpreet Singh Khadial said, ‘They did not contest against BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, their councillor voted for BJP’s candidate in Chandigarh’s mayoral election and now they are staying out of the bypolls. It is to help BJP with SAD’s little vote bank. SAD is now history,’ he added.
SAD, however, has been undergoing severe internal convulsions, more so since the emergence of the separatist wing of the Sudhar Lehar, which questions the leadership mantle held by Sukhbir Badal.
In the last couple of years, the fortunes of the party have plummeted.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, SAD secured just 15 out of 117 seats, and by 2022, its representation had dwindled to an all-time low of just three seats. The party’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections also witnessed a slide, as the it could win only two seats in the 2019 elections and only one in the recently concluded election in 2024.
