Time for
Akali Dal to challenge ruling Congress as main Opposition
Ground Zero
Jagtar Singh
The last day
of the 2-day session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on November 11 is likely to set
the tone for the forthcoming February 2022 election in the state.
It is
crucial time for the Shiromani Akali Dal to replace the Aam Aadmi Party as the
main opposition to give the signal to the people in the state that it would mainly be contest between the Congress
and the Akali Dal with the AAP being at the margins of the electoral matrix.
It
would depend mainly on the strategy and
tactics of the party that has the glorious record of a century of being
the voice of the people and dictating
the religio-political dynamic of not
only the region but also the country at times.
It is
pertinent to mention that the AAP had relegated the Akali Dal to the third
position in the 2017 election but collapsed due to internal contradictions.
The AAP has been delivered a shock a day before the Assembly
session with its MLA Rupinder Kaur Rubi jumping over to the Congress. Several of
its MLAs have earlier deserted the party and numerically, the strength of the
party stands reduced in the Assembly.
The AAP is no more in a position to pose critical challenge
to the Congress and this slot is waiting for the Akali Dal to recapture it.
The Congress, despite the unprecedented massive mandate in
2017, just failed to perform. It is interesting that both the Congress and AAP
were hit by the same virus of internal contradictions and both these parties
faced no challenge from outside.
That the Congress
leadership decided to replace its captain of the ship Capt Amarinder
Singh in the high seas is in itself is indictment of this party and its
government. The Congress by effecting a change itself confessed its stark
failure. It is this dimension that the Akali Dal has to articulate and
emphasise repeatedly beginning tomorrow, from the House itself.
Not only that. The internal contradictions further
intensified in the Congress with the replacement of Capt Amarinder Singh by Charanjit
Singh Channi. He has been main opposition not from the Akali Dal or the AAP but
from PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and his predecessor Sunil Jakhar. Both have
failed to compromise to the fact that they were ignored over a low profile
Channi who has now proved his popularity
in his own style of functioning.
While posing itself as the main challenger to the Congress,
the Akali Dal should take the necessary precaution of avoiding confrontation
with the struggling farmers who are fighting not only for their own survival
but also of the common consumer who would be hit hard with the corporatisation
of the food grain trade. Historically, it is the Akali Dal that used to be the
representative of the farmers while the Congress had the image of being an urban party.
The situation has changed. The Akali Dal has been turning
more and more inclusive over the years and has also suffered some damage in the
process. The core strength of the Akali Dal, however, continues to be the same
dynamics despite the transformation. But then the transformation has to be a
balancing act rather than creating the perception that the party is getting
alienated from its core support base.
The immediate challenge before the party is to emerge as the
main opposition and blunt the perception of the AAP being the main challenger
to the Congress.
It is for the party leadership to fine tune its strategy
accordingly.
Of course, the party carries the baggage of Bargari sacrilege
and this issue has returned to the centre stage mainly due to power struggle
within the Congress.
But then it is time for the party to reinvent itself in the
short time for which it would have to strengthen bonds with the core areas.
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