Politics makes strange bedfellows. There are no permanent enemies or friends in politics. This holds true about former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Once sworn enemies, Amarinder now bats for Sukhbir for an alliance with the BJP.
The story goes back to Amarinder’s first term as the Punjab Chief Minister, which began in February 2002. During the campaign then he had made corruption the main issue against the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal. His government filed cases under anti-corruption laws and both father-son duo were also jailed.
When Amarinder lost power in 2007 and the Akalis returned to power, they decided to return the “favour”. The Akali government registered a case of corruption against Amarinder about the alleged bribery in “Ludhiana City Centre”. However, Amarinder escaped jail since he was granted bail by the court. It is believed that while the senior Badal did not want to pursue any case against Amarinder, Sukhbir insisted on vengeance.
Eventually, both Badals, as well as Amarinder, were acquitted in the respective cases registered by them against each other. Since then, it was perceived that the two families had bought peace between themselves and had reached “some understanding”.
However, Amarinder’s all-powerful Media Advisor, Bhrat Inder Singh Chahal, was jailed and allegedly tortured in custody in 2007 by the Akali government. He was the only one who ended up suffering the Akali vengeance.
But all that is past now. As the new alignments have come into force. Amarinder is no longer with the Congress and has joined the BJP. Moreover, he is not his old self either. He is probably in the last lap of his ‘political run’ and wants to sign off as a winner in 2027.
Sukhbir Badal is politically at his weakest point right now. Having faced large-scale rebellion, he is battling for political survival. He and his cadres are quite keen on an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, his erstwhile ally.
The BJP has so far been reluctant as the party reportedly nourishes a lot of grievances against the Akalis. Besides, Sukhbir’s wife and Bathinda MP, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, has been bitterly critical of the BJP in the recent past. During the Waqf Bill discussion in the parliament, her speech was like that of a sworn enemy and not of a past or a prospective ally.
Despite all that and the reservations within the senior BJP leadership, Amarinder is still batting for an alliance with Sukhbir. He recently said that the BJP, if it wants to form the government in Punjab, will have to align with the Akalis. Otherwise, he added, the BJP may need to wait for an election or two to form the government in Punjab on its own.
That is how politics works. No permanent friends. No permanent foes. An alliance between the BJP and the Akalis in Punjab looks highly likely. The BJP may not be very keen to align with the Akalis or form the government in the state, but it will be more than keen to ensure that the Congress is not allowed to win another state. The BJP may, out of compulsion and to keep the Congress out of power in Punjab, align with the Akalis. The BJP and Akali Dal together will definitely make a formidable alliance and will pose a serious challenge to both the Congress as well as the ruling AAP.
The time may not be very far, when Amarinder and Sukhbir, two sworn enemies and rivals in the past, may share the dais together and may be, even power, if the alliance wins.
