To counter Taksalis, Sukhbir reaching out to sulking elements
SAD (Taksali) has taken a lead in perception game and a number of disgruntled leaders are in touch with Brahmpura
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has lately been reaching out to the disgruntled leaders, who were out of favour during the Badals-led 10-year SAD-BJP rule (2007-17).
Ahead of the parliamentary polls, the move is being seen as an attempt to counter the so-called upsurge of breakaway Taksali faction led by Khaddor Sahib MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura. The splinter faction — SAD (Taksali) — has taken a lead in the perception game and a number of beleaguered Akali leaders are reportedly in touch with Brahmpura.
The Khadoor Sahib MP is hopeful of getting support from traditional Panthic votebank, which has drifted away from SAD after a series of sacrilege incidents in 2015. The message from Sukhbir to the discontented leaders is “bygone is bygone and work for the party in tough times”. But Sukhbir has been facing a tough time soothing them.
On Wednesday, former army chief Gen JJ Singh (retd) joined Brahmpura-led splinter group, and he has shown willingness to take the electoral plunge in the forthcoming polls from a suitable segment.
Sukhbir last week held a oneon-one meeting with former minister Surjeet Singh Kohli and his son former Patiala mayor Ajit Pal Kohli. Grandson of Gurcharan Singh Tohra Harinder Pal Singh also met Sukhbir in Delhi, but his father Harmail Singh, a former minister, and mother Kuldeep Kaur, are not willing to join the fold. The family had joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the 2017 assembly polls.
Former youth Akali Dal president Kiranbir Singh Kang, a onetime close friend of Sukhbir, has joined back the Akali bandwagon and was given a place in party’s political affairs committee (PAC) on Wednesday. Both friends fell off during the first term of the Akali government (2007-12). Other than Kang, a number of other leaders who were not visible during the Akali-BJP government have been inducted into the PAC and given positions in the party hierarchy.
AKALI DAL PRESIDENT LAST WEEK HELD A ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH FORMER MINISTER SURJEET SINGH KOHLI AND HIS SON, FORMER PATIALA MAYOR
AJIT PAL KOHLI
ALL EYES ON DHINDSA, PHOOLKA
Former Akali veteran Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who resigned from party’s second senior most post of secretary general last year and recently suggested that SAD president should step down to make things better for the party, is also in touch with Brahmpura, it is learnt.
Also, HS Phoolka, who resigned from the AAP and also as an MLA, is also expected to meet Brahmpura in near future. Brahmpura is trying to rope in both Dhindsa and Phoolka to contest under the umbrella of Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA) — a conglomerate of Sukhpal Khaira-led Punjabi Ekta Party, Bains brothers’ Lok Insaaf Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and SAD (Taksali.