Chandigarh, July 8
There seems to be confusion in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) regarding stand on the nuclear deal at the national level and also in Parliament.
On one hand Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said he and his party would stand by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on the deal.
Quoting Badal on the issue, party spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said “We would swim or sink with the NDA on this issue”. However, on the other hand,
the
party said it would decide its stand on the issue at the meeting of its core committee to be held after the return of Sukhbir Singh Badal, president of the SAD, from abroad. As Sukhbir is to return on July 13, the meeting of the core committee, having senior leaders on it , will be held at 6 pm on July 15, it is learnt. The NDA will be informed regarding the decision taken by the core committee of the SAD.
From the fixing of meeting on July 15, it is clear the SAD has not taken any decision on the deal. In fact, the SAD leadership, which is in favour of installing nuclear power plants in the state, has remained silent for a long time on the deal,that has been discussed in the country.
Sources said there were senior SAD leaders who were in favour of the deal thinking it was good for the country. In private talk they support the deal and say Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, architect of the deal, should be supported on the issue in Parliament. However, because of political compulsions and alliance with the NDA, they have not made their views public on the issue.
However, the biggest political question the SAD leadership facing at the moment is should it become party to the removal of Manmohan Singh from the office of the Prime Minister. “ Will it be proper for us to see the fall of Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister of the country by voting against him in Parliament?” said a senior Akali leader.
“ That is our biggest dilemma at the moment”, he added.Though people will forget sooner or later but history will certainly record it the SAD, that claims to be a representative party of the Sikhs all over the world, had voted against first Sikh Prime Minister to remove him from the PM’s office, he said adding if the SAD MPs voted against the UPA government in Parliament. He said even the Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP, supported the UPA’s candidate for presidentship because she was from Maharashtra. “ As Manmohan Singh is a Sikh, similar issue will have to be faced by us”, he added.
Abstaining from Parliament would be the best option. Moreover, abstaining would also silence those, who often accuse us of becoming blind followers of the BJP, other Panthic parties and establish that our leadership was is capable of taking decisions independently, he said.
A group of intellectuals, considered close to the SAD, has already started building pressure on senior Akali leaders to support Dr Manmohan Singh in Parliament on the deal. On the condition of anonymity, one of the members of the group, said it was not politically mandatory for the SAD leadership to follow the BJP on the issue of the deal that is purely an issue of foreign policy on which the SAD should adopt an independent line because its interests are quite at variance with the BJP on this issue.
The SAD should never give the impression that it was against America in any manner. The Leftist have problems with America but not the SAD. As Punjabis are settled in America in big numbers and have played significant role in getting the deal signed, the SAD leadership should keep this factor in mind. More over, the PM has always remained fair to the Badal government.
