Manpreet Badal's entry into BJP upsets saffron party's Punjab unit leaders

Tribune News Service

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Chandigarh, January 22

Former Congress leader Manpreet Badal, who recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), faces an uphill task in finding acceptability in the state unit of the saffron party with many local leaders not happy over the development.

Top party functionaries said senior leaders, including state unit president Ashwani Sharma and state unit in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, were not taken into confidence before the decision to induct Manpreet was taken.

While the state BJP leaders have conveyed their “annoyance” to the top party leadership “mildly”, former Congress leaders, including four ministers in the previous government, who joined the BJP have “very strongly” conveyed their displeasure to the top BJP leadership.

Even the district BJP core committee headed by district head Sarup Chand Singla in a meeting discussed the fact that Manpreet did not contact any district BJP leader nor the national party leadership seek any feedback from them regarding his induction.

A senior leader said, “Manpreet had given strong indications of joining our party after the elections last year. We were conveyed that he might be inducted at a state-level function only. Now, we were told that Delhi leadership played the crucial role in him joining the party.”

Making things tougher for Manpreet on home ground in Bathinda is Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. Before Manpreet quit the Congress, the cold war between him and Warring was well-known.

In fact, during the 2022 Assembly polls, Warring had openly appealed to people to defeat all Badals (including Manpreet) from Bathinda.

On January 20, after returning from Delhi, Manpreet held a meeting with councillors at his residence in Badal village. Around 20 councillors, including Mayor Raman Goyal’s husband and Deputy Mayor Harmander Singh Sidhu, were present at the meeting.

Sources say Manpreet does not have any strong base in the Congress, and relies big time on old time loyalists of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and even People’s Party of Punjab (PPP). Many councillors in Manpreet’s group are turncoats, who joined the Congress from SAD in his support.

Giving a new political turn on Saturday, Warring is learnt to have held a meeting with 26 Congress councillors. The sources said although Warring also faced hostile questions from the councillors, however, he is learnt to have made certain progress in getting the Congress team together.

Union Minister and state in-charge Shekhawat is coming on a two-day visit to Bathinda on January 24.

An open protest against the BJP was witnessed in Patiala recently, when Congress workers were given party positions instead of BJP workers, who have spent their life in the party. “It is sad that loyalists are being ignored for political turncoats at many places,” a senior leader said.

Convey feelings to top brass

While the state BJP leaders have conveyed their “annoyance” to the top party leadership “mildly”, former Congress leaders, including four ministers in the previous government, who joined the BJP have “very strongly” conveyed their displeasure to the top BJP leadership.

Loyalists being ignored

It is sad that loyalists are being ignored for political turncoats at many places. — A senior BJP leader

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