BJP-Akali alliance needed to ensure communal harmony in Punjab: Sunil Jakhar
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Sunday said the party’s alliance with the estranged partner Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was the need of the hour because forces inimical to the state’s interests were resurfacing as these had in 1996 when the pact was first formalised to meet the imperatives of communal harmony.
Flagging the potential for saffron expansion in the state, Jakhar said the BJP should aim to win hearts rather than votes in Punjab and must connect with its “emotional core".
In a wide-ranging interview with The Tribune days after Ashwani Sharma’s appointment as state working president signalled a change of guard, Jakhar blamed recent irritants on the “deep state and entrenched bureaucratic establishment” which, he said, was “influencing decision-making in Punjab and needs to be checked".
“Punjab is not merely a geographical area. It is a highly self-respecting society where a ‘pagdi’ and ‘dastar’ don’t mean just a turban but are synonymous with the sense of ‘sardari’ — self-esteem — which makes people resist all forms of absolute power. The BJP’s challenge is to grasp the soul of Punjab and assuage the hurt it feels has been historically heaped on it," said Jakhar when asked why the BJP was struggling in the state.
He traced Punjab’s rebellious spirit to Guru Gobind Singh’s call for resisting ‘jabar’ and ‘zulm’ (force and atrocity) and said, “Although the BJP has nothing to do with historical wrongs perpetrated on Punjab by past governments, it is bearing the brunt being the ruling party (at the Centre) today."
The Punjab BJP chief said “the deep state and entrenched bureaucracy” were influencing decision-making in Punjab and the central BJP government must rein it in.
“These entrenched forces are responsible for recent irritants bothering Punjab and its people, including meddling with the 60:40 Punjab-Haryana ratio of Chandigarh administrative officers’ pool, replacing the post of Adviser to UT administrator with chief secretary and opening BBMB slots reserved for Punjab to others," said Jakhar, adding that these administrative moves had served no political interests.
On the political side, Jakhar said the Akali-BJP alliance was the need of the hour as it was in 1996 and this regrouping must be guided by the imperative of addressing Panthic sentiments and mainstreaming radicals.
“In 1996, the BJP, a national party, accepted being secondary to the Akali Dal in the larger interest of Punjab which was emerging from the dark days of terrorism. For decades, the BJP stayed content with 23 Assembly seats and urban presence while Akalis expanded in rural swathes. The BJP’s growth was stunted but the party continued to give prime importance to Punjab’s interest over self. This has never been appreciated enough. Today we again see forces inimical to Punjab resurfacing. So the BJP and Akalis must eschew political differences for Punjab’s sake,” Jakhar said, arguing that the alliance would serve a social cause and prove worthy even though Akalis are today a disintegrated lot and no longer the astute political force they were.
As for the BJP, he cited a vote share surge from 6.60 per cent in the 2022 Assembly polls to 18.56 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to say the party was growing formidably. Describing “the Congress and its divisive ideology" as the BJP’s main rival in the state, Jakhar spoke of the Congress denying him the CM’s berth after Capt Amarinder Singh’s resignation in 2021 on grounds that he was a Hindu.
“Punjab can’t be viewed from the prism of religion but the Congress made that mistake, reducing Hindus to second-class citizens and not realising that Punjabiyat equals secularism. The Congress is a greater danger to Punjab than anyone else," said the state BJP chief.
On the way forward, Jakhar noted that Punjab understands it needs Centre’s hand holding to overcome financial and social mess but for that to happen “the BJP must rebuild Punjab’s foundations around the Sikh tenets of pride, service and integrity".
“We must recognise Punjab’s historic contributions and understand that the state wants respect and recognition, not recompense and it wants a leadership that would put Punjab before vested goals,” he explained.
The senior leader lamented the irony of Punjab’s mistrust for the BJP despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s many moves to address Sikh sensitivities — from the opening of the Kartarpur corridor to the commemoration of sacrifices of Sahibzadas.
Punjab