Akali camps evolving strategies
Two-day Vidhan Sabha session opens today
By P P S Gill
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 20 — While the two-day winter session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha starting here tomorrow may give a temporary reprieve to the SAD-BJP government and save it from possible embarrassment inside the House, the political temperature outside the Assembly continues to rise.

The government does not seem to have much of legislative business to transact in the House, but there is enough of politicking, involving the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal (he is also SAD President) and the SGPC President, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, outside the House.

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, informs TNS there is not much of legislative business excepting introduction of some bills or amendments. The House will see swearing-in of the new Congress MLA, Mr Kanwaljit Singh Lalli, and also make obituary references on the opening day. The business is to be taken up only the next day.

Whereas tactical moves and technicalities like issue of a showcause notice to the SGPC President by the SAD Disciplinary Action Committee notwithstanding both camps, pro-Badal and pro-Tohra camps are engaged in consultations evolving "strategies" to meet the possible religio-political expediencies, which may surface in the foreseeable future. Both sides want to forestall any developments which may impinge upon their strategies. It is the question of the fittest now.

Of the listed bills the major one is on municipalities for which a new bill is to be introduced. Other small items of legislative business pertain to infrastructural development cess, general sales tax, road development board and making it eligible for raising loans etc. says Mr Mittal.

This session of the Vidhan Sabha comes at a time when the two major political parties, the Shiromani Akali Dal ( senior partner in the coalition government with the Bharatiya Janata Party) and the Congress party have undergone change of complexion.

The SAD is engrossed in an internal crisis with external consequences following no-holds barred fight between the Chief Minister (as also the SAD President), Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and the SGPC President, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra. This has already taken a toll of five members of the council of ministers: Mr Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, Mr Harmail Singh Tohra — all Cabinet rank, — Mr Inderjit Singh Zira and Mr S S Kohli, both ministers of state.

The Congress has also undergone a kind of metamorphosis since the last sitting of the House. The Punjab Pradesh Congress President, who also happened to be the leader of the party's legislature wing as well as of the Opposition, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, has been replaced. While Capt Amarinder Singh has stepped in as PPCC President, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh is now the CLP leader,

When contacted, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh dubbed the "one-day" session as a "cruel joke." He regretted that the members had not received any agenda or copy of legislative business to be conducted on Tuesday. His understanding was that certain bills or amendments thereto were being presented. But copies, thereof, had not been made available". The same should have been supplied when the notice summoning the House was served on the members," he added.

Chaudhary Jagjit Singh wondered how the government expected the members to do a proper reading of the bills. It only showed that the government wanted to "avoid facing" the Opposition or give it an opportunity to raise pertinent issues on the floor of the House. Those issues were of great concern to the people of the state. The winter session, he went on, should last longer to enable the Opposition to raise its voice, articulate the aspirations of the electorate, and discuss some of the burning issues confronting the people.

When asked to identify those issues, he mentioned "price rise, galloping inflation (which is strangulating the consumers), the neglect of the employees and the financial health of Punjab", which has taken the state to the brink of near bankruptcy.

The Congress leader felt convening of a short sitting of the House only showed the "failure" of the SAD-BJP government in giving people their due and elected representatives an opportunity to speak.

When the House assembles tomorrow, it will do so in the shadow of Adampur's humiliating defeat which has proved to be nemesis for SAD, which is embroiled in a bitter internecine war, beginning at the top. Chaudhary Jagjit Singh refused to comment on what is going on inside the SAD. But Mr Mittal when asked to comment said for the BJP, being a coalition partner both in Chandigarh and New Delhi, it is a" wait and watch" situation. he hoped the internal strife would end soon in the larger interest of the state and the people, who have warmly responded to the working together of the two political parties, "which in itself signals communal amity and understanding".

The present numerical line-up in the House is as follows: SAD 74, BJP 18; Congress 15; CPI 2; SAD ( led by Mr Simranjit Singh Mann) 1, and BSP 1. There are six Independents.

From all available accounts it seems there is hardly any business with the government to conduct. Moreover, practically a one day session(so far) will barely give the Opposition an opportunity to talk of "corruption, crop failure and harassment of farmers in mandis, poor tax realisation in the state, development being at a stand-still, financial crisis etc", as the CPI MLA, Mr Hardev Arshi, put it. He lamented that the SAD-BJP government had made a "mockery" of running the government. It has totally alienated itself from the grassroots. The present Badal-Tohra feud was also fraught with dangers unless resolved.

Within the Vidhan Sabha SAD does not see any reason why the five Ministers or MLAs would cause any problems. No one among them is opposed to the SAD Government or will work against it. The resignation was only to register a "protest", probably to exert "pressure" on the SAD President.

As part of the strategy being evolved to keep religious edicts out of the way, possibility of a presidium being formed by the SAD President to direct the future course of action is not being ruled out.

Outside the House the Chief Minister has already had several rounds of discussions with his close confidants, who continued to delineate on the various consequences late on Saturday night. The main theme being to "wait and watch" how Jathedar of Akal Takht acts following his "appeal" and to pre-empt any move by him. The SGPC chief is already piqued over the continued sniper fire on him, while, Mr Parkash Singh is known to have "bypassed" the Akal Takht earlier also in 1994.

The SGPC President, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, was in Chandigarh (SAS Nagar to be precise) early this morning. He was on his way to Ludhiana to attend the marriage of the son of Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, who had quit as minister in "protest" against use of "derogatory language"against Mr Gurcharan Singh and also there being no stopping by Mr Parkash Singh .

Of late, Mr Gurcharan Singh has become " serious". Inside, his close friends say, as in case of every human being, there is an anxiety-neurosis because just when an important event (tercentenary celebrations of the birth of Khalsa are due in April 1999) is round the corner a "character assassination campaign" should not have been launched to dislodge him and defame him. His"tragedy" is he is too "involved and committed" to Sikhs and their cause: religious, political and economic. The "impulsive" reaction of Mr Parkash Singh is equally surprising.

The Central leadership of the BJP in New Delhi is taking a wider view of the feud. It is keen on "amicable resolution" because any adverse fallout will affect BJP's own political calculations because the vast Sikh vote bank will get divided. Several contentious issues, like Udham Singh Nagar, are still pending, and some of its allies are uneasy. The unresolved conflict will mean harm to SAD itself as well.

Neither Mr Gurcharan Singh nor Mr Parkash Singh is a "revolutionary"; both belong to typical, traditional Akali mould and culture. Therefore, the present developments and future possibilities will have to be seen in the larger perspective.

The Jathedar of Akal Takht may not be aligned to Mr Gurcharan Singh he may also be against Mr Parkash Singh due to the presence of the Editor of a Jalandhar Punjabi daily in his camp. The Jathedar reportedly maintains in private that both feuding leaders have emerged after 40 years of "trial and tribulation". Their loss, individually or both, at this juncture will harm Panthic interests. Yet both leaders are fortifying their respective citadels.

Thus the tormenting past, the stormy present and the uncertain future place the Akali politics in a whirlpool of intense speculation. Only one question begs an answer: What will be the final outcome ?

Tohra-Badal tussle: Farooq to intervene?
Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, Dec 20 — Mr Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister, J&K, who has a good rapport with senior Akali leaders, has agreed to mediate between Mr Parkash Singh Badal and Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, according to Mr Harminder Singh Gill, AISSF president.

In a press note released here today, Mr Gill claimed that Mr Harsajjan Singh Bali, Chairman, J&K Legislative Council and Mr Sudarshan Singh Vazeer, Chairman J&K Gurdwara Board, who recently visited Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib in connection with the Khalsa march had urged Mr Abdullah to mediate to resolve the present political impasse.

Both Mr Bali and Mr Vazeer told Mr Gill that Mr Farooq had assured them that he would approach both warring Akali leaders for resolving the issue before his scheduled visit to London on January 23.

Meanwhile, Mr Inderjit Singh Zira, who resigned from the Badal Ministry recently, Mr G.S. Shantpura, executive members, Mr Harbans Singh Mandal and Mr Kashmir Singh, SGPC members have also urged Mr Farooq Abdullah to mediate.

Meanwhile, despite the SAD's disciplinary action committee's (DAC) show cause notice Mr Tohra has decided not to step down from his post as President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee as demanded by some of his detractors in the SGPC.

Sources close to Mr Tohra said that he will wait till calling of a general house meeting of the SGPC. As per the Gurdwara Act a "no-confidence motion" can be moved against him only by the general house which is unlikely to meet before February.

SGPC members must serve a 15-day notice for calling a general house meeting after January 23 (after 90 days of the first meeting of the general house).

If the secretary of the SGPC fails to call the meeting after 15-day notice, a majority of members could call a general house meeting on their own after lapse of ten days. Since the secretary of the SGPC is a protege of Mr Tohra he is unlikely to call the meeting of his own accord .

In the given circumstances, the general house meeting can only be held around February 18.

Sources close to Mr Tohra said he would utilise the time (till the general house meeting) to muster support among SGPC members.

Mr Tohra is also hopeful of getting Bhai Ranjit Singh, Akal Takht Chief and of the Sant Samaj to pitch in his favour before the calling of general house meeting of the SGPC.

Meanwhile, efforts are afoot to bring about rapprochement between Mr Tohra and Mr Badal in the 'larger interests' of the Sikh panth, although sources close to Mr Tohra deny his sending emissaries to Mr Badal for an 'honourable' settlement.