New Delhi: Shiromani Akali Dal, one of the oldest allies of BJP and founding member of NDA, finally broke this alliance. On Saturday, the Akali Dal made an official announcement that it was pulling out of the ruling coalition at the center in protest against the agricultural law. However, the resentment of the Akali was not only on the issue of the farmers, but they were angry with the neglect of the central government for a long time.
Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, whose wife and party leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned 9 days ago in protest against the Union Council of Ministers, told reporters, “The government’s decision on the agricultural bill is not only deepening the interests of farmers There is injury, but also farm laborers, traders, Arathiyas (commission agents) and Dalits who depend on agriculture. ”
According to Hindustan, looking at the political developments of the last one or two years, there were about half a dozen occasions when the Akali Dal did not get the expected support from its larger ally. Yes, the Akali Dal was forced to take a decisive decision regarding the existing laws relating to farmers.
A few days ago, the Central Government included Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi in the official languages of Kashmir. The Akali Dal wanted Punjabi to be included in it. Because there are Punjabi speakers in Kashmir and it has been the old language of the state. Badal also wrote to the PM and Shah on this issue but the hearing was not held. Senior leader Naresh Gujral says it was a small matter, a reasonable thing, but the government did not listen to him.
Even before this, in the monsoon session of Parliament last year, the government passed the Inter State River Water Dispute (Amendment) Bill from the Lok Sabha, despite the opposition of the Akali Dal. It has provision for settlement of water disputes within the stipulated time. The Akali Dal feels that this may divert part of Punjab to other states. The bill is currently pending in Rajya Sabha for other reasons.
There was another reason why the Akali Dal was angry, their only MLA. B. Singh is to join BJP. The Akali Dal said the BJP violated the modesty of the alliance. During the Lok Sabha elections, the Akali Dal wanted the BJP to give Amritsar and Hoshiarpur seats to it and take Ludhiana and Jalandhar in return, but the BJP flatly refused. The Akali Dal also complains that the largest farmer leader in the country is Parkash Singh Badal. But he was never consulted on the issue of farmers. For all these reasons, the Akali Dal decided to leave such an old partner.
Also read in Hindi: भाजपा ने खोया अपना सबसे पुराना सहयोगी, अकाली ने NDA का साथ छोड़ा