Led by Badal, regional parties likely to meet during budget session

CHANDIGARH : Regional parties are likely to meet during the upcoming budget session of Parliament in the last week of January with plans to forge an alternative front under the leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, it is learnt.

With parties like the Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) having shown their willingness to be part of the parley, the SAD, which initiated the proposed move, also plans to bring on board the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Indian National Lok dal (INLD) and the Samajwadi Party.

“We have asked NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to lead the front due to Mr Badal’s health and age. He (Badal) can initiate the process and Pawar can take over later on,” said SAD’s Rajya Sabha MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder.

The meeting, Bhunder said, was delayed for a couple of weeks in view of the ongoing cold wave. Earlier, the meeting was expected to take place between January 5 and 9

“The leaders of all the parties will be in New Delhi to take part in the budget session. All have agreed to meet then,” said former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, who along with SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal is reaching out to the leaders of all the parties to come on a common platform.

The SAD has formed a threemember committee comprising Bhunder, Chandumajra and former cabinet minister Sikandar Singh Maluka for a dialogue with the leaders of regional parties.

After parting ways with the BJP in September over the three farm laws, the Akali Dal is in search of new allies. The party has opened talks the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for a pr-poll alliance ahead of the 2022 assembly elections in Punjab.

On the need for a political alternative, Chandumajra said, “All revenue powers are vested with the Centre. Since the BJP came to power in 2014, there is very little left with the states. The GST has pushed all states into revenue deficit. Our fight is for revival of federal structure in the country.”

Bhundar and Chandumajra have already met Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Pawar. Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee is also keen on starting dialogue with the regional parties, it is learnt.

Chandumajra said Banerjee and Thackeray have agreed to stage a protest in national capital and all the regional parties have decided to support the ongoing farmers’ protests together.

“Pawar is in touch with the CMs of parties other than the BJP and the Congress and has spoken to Kerala CM and CPI(M) a leader P Vijayan who has given a positive response,” he added.