Shah on Thursday talked about forming an NDA government in Punjab, marking a shift from the party’s earlier position of forming a BJP government in the state. His remarks have fuelled the buzz about a possible reunion between the erstwhile allies BJP and Akali Dal in Punjab.
Last month, while addressing a rally in Jalandhar at the conclusion of the party’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’, Shah had refrained from attacking the SAD and did not even mention contesting all 117 assembly seats in the state. Talking to reporters in Chandigarh after meeting the Punjab Governor, Badal asserted that peace prevailed in the state when the SAD-BJP coalition government was in power. Assembly elections in Punjab are scheduled to be held early next year. Badal said a SAD delegation met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and discussed how an “incompetent chief minister” had ruined the state, adding that the law and order situation had completely collapsed.
The delegation, led by Badal, met the governor over the recent killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa and submitted a memorandum with several demands, including the dismissal of CM Bhagwant Mann.
Speaking to reporters, Badal said, “During the SAD-BJP rule, peace prevailed in Punjab, and the state witnessed development in infrastructure and industry, besides becoming power-surplus.” “Whether we form the government or not, we will continue to fight for the people of Punjab. In our view, Congress and AAP are the two biggest enemies of Punjab, and we can never have an understanding with these parties. There are many other parties, and we are open (to a tie-up) with those that agree with the Akali Dal’s ideology and programmes,” he said.
Earlier in August, Badal’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his office in Parliament House had triggered speculation about the possibility of the regional party joining hands with the BJP again. The SAD had snapped its 24-year-old alliance with the BJP in September 2020 over the now-scrapped three farm laws.
