JALANDHAR; When the Akali Dal (Badal) holds its meeting at Ludhiana soon to discuss political and organizational matters, the is- sue of opening the doors of the party to the Hindu and Dalit population of Punjab and to give them appropriate representation in an institutionalized manner in the party structure will be on top of its agenda.

Party sources said the conceptual framework of giving the party such 4 politically significant strategic shift with far-reaching implications for both the Sikh and Punjab polity, was discussed for two hours in a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the party held at Jatandhar on July 14. The sources said the issue was thrown open for discussion with prior consent of party president Parkash Singh Badal, who pre- sided over the meeting of the seven-member policy-making PAC. They said there was no opposition to bringing about such a strategic shift a senior leader of the party from the Majha region was “lukewarm” in his response, while another senior leader from Malwa region called for in depth, and broad-based discussion to analyze its implications for the Sikh polity. The Akali leader, who pro pounded the thesis, felt that the party must get outies narrow sectarian groove, if it seriously wanted to challenge the political hegemony of the ruling Congress.

He said it would be naive for the Akalis for continue to base its political strategy on the Sikh vote bank alone in a heterogeneous society, particularly at a time when the community smarting under a siege mentality was faced with intense pressure from both the ruling party and Akali Dal (Amritsar).

The sources said the direct appeal and cooperation of the Hindus and Dalits in the party’s institutional framework would also help Akalis overcome the dilemma of electoral alliance with either the BJP of BSP. Secondly, the BIP had ceased 0 be a force to be reckoned with in Punjab, where more and more of the Hindu elaborate has started identifying with the Congress because of “insecurity syndrome.”

Article extracted from this publication >> July 29, 1994