BSP breaks ties with SAD, says Akalis already in touch with BJP

The BSP’s decision to go solo in the parliamentary elections in Punjab came at its state-level meeting in Chandigarh on Tuesday. After a marathon meeting that lasted for around five hours, the BSP’s central co-ordinator and Punjab affairs in-charge Randhir Singh Beniwal told The Indian Express, “Akali Dal to BJP ke saath chale gaya, hum to akele chunaav larenge (Akali Dal has gone with the BJP, we will contest polls solo).”

BSP leadership hit out at the BJP for “suppressing Dalits, Backward Classes, minorities and farmers through unconstitutional policies and making changes in Constitution”, and slammed the Akali Dal for “aligning with the BJP at a time when farmers and Punjabis hit the streets against the BJP-led Centre over non-fulfilment of promises made to them”.

Fielding media questions recently, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal had ruled out an alliance with the BJP, saying Akali were already in alliance with the BSP. “Do naav mein sawari karne wala kabhi gathbandhan ke saath nahi chala karta (one who sails in two boats simultaneously cannot maintain an alliance),” Beniwal hit back at the SAD.

“Akali Dal was in touch with BJP for over two months and there was a statement from [Union Home Minister] Amit Shah also. They held two meetings with [BJP national president] J P Nadda. BSP is not a party that plays second fiddle. BSP will never be a slave to anyone,” Beniwal said.

Beniwal said, “When they (Akali Dal) held talks with Shah and Nadda, it was obvious that they had already decided to go with the BJP. Only the announcement is what remains.”

Asked if there is any possibility of a tie with the Akali Dal before the LS polls, Beniwal said, “I don’t think BSP will ally with the party that does not have any theoretical or practical stand and changes its stance every day, every hour and every month. Rest, I don’t know how the circumstances will unfold in future, but I don’t think we will ally with them [Akali Dal] again.” Punjab BSP president Jasvir Singh Garhi told The Indian Express, “BSP will not tolerate excesses being committed on farmers and Punjabis.”

Garhi said that at a time when the farmers’ agitation was on and the “entire farming community was on the roads”, Sukhbir “took five days off from the party’s Punjab Bachao Yatra and camped in Delhi to discuss an alliance with the BJP.” Responding to a query on the possibility of the BJP-SAD alliance during the ET Global Business Summit on Saturday, Shah said, “As of now, nothing has been finalised. Talks are on.”

Garhi said, “The objection that the BSP has is you (Akali Dal) are discussing seat-sharing with a party (BJP) with which you do not have an alliance. News reports are saying five or seven seats. Why are you not talking about seat-sharing with the party you have an alliance (BSP) with?” “Secondly, you want to go with the BJP at a time when the entire Punjab is on the roads in solidarity with the agitating farmers. Why at such a juncture? BSP will go it alone in Punjab,” he said.

SAD secretary general Balwinder Singh Bhunder, on the other hand, said the BSP made an announcement merely based on news reports about talks between Akali Dal and BJP. “Has Sukhbir Badal ever said that talks were on with the BJP? Have I ever said so? No responsible party leaders made such statements.

“The party president recently told the media that Akali Dal already had an alliance with the BSP. This (the alliance talks between Akali Dal and BJP) was a subject of discussion in news reports and based on that, BSP leaders have made the statement (of ending the alliance with Akali Dal). They (BSP) should have asked us first if they had any doubts. Only four days ago, there was a meeting with them (BSP) in which seat-sharing was discussed,” Bhunder told The Indian Express.

A senior Akali Dal leader, however, said, “There had been talks about the alliance with BJP. But due to the ongoing farm agitation, it won’t be politically tenable for Akali Dal to pursue the talks further for the time being.”

Meanwhile, Sukhbir on Tuesday posted on X: “Shiromani Akali Dal is the sole and long-standing champion of farmers’ rights and has always stood by them. The party fully supports their right to peaceful democratic protest. The SAD govts have implemented unprecedented facilities for the farm sector including free power and many other measures.”