PATIALA: A notification creating 30 more seats for the SGPC elections and reserving those for women, has created a difficult situation for various factions of the Akali Dal participating in to ensuing SGPC poll. Although these parties had welcomed the move as they wanted to please the large number of women voters, now they are facing difficulty in finding suitable women candidates for the elections. The Akali Dal (Amnritsar), Akali Dal (Panthic) and Akali Dal (Badal) are already in the fray. This means at least 90 women candidates will be required for putting up as candidates to meet the requirements of the notification.

Except the Akali Dal (Badal), no other Akali outfit has a proper women wing. But the Istri Akali Dal affiliated to the Akali Dal (Badal) is already house divided. There has been a dispute over the post of its president ship for the past many months, a similar situation had arisen when 30% of seats were reserved for women in the zila parishad and block samiti elections. Then parties had given the ticket to small time women activists. At several places the women were put up as dummy candidates with the elections practically being contested by their husbands. Although the Congress in Punjab has decided not to contest the SGPC elections, it has made its intentions clear that it will not allow a smooth sailing for the Akali Dal headed by Mr. Parkash Singh Badal.

It may be mentioned here that about two weeks ago, Punjab Chief Minister Hareharan Singh Brar, while addressing a press conference here at the local circuit House, had categorically stated that neither his party nor the Punjab Government would interfere in the SGPC elections as this was a religious affair of the community. Such utterances of Mr. Brar, notwithstanding, his ministers and MLAs have started campaigning for the SGPC elections openly at public meetings. In fact, except for a few speakers, all made it a point to revolve their speeches around the SGPC elections and Akali politics at a public meeting by Congressmen organized here Sept. 1. Most leaders made Mr. Badal and SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra target of their speeches. Addressing the meeting, Mr. Jasjit Singh Randhawa blamed the SGPC for “terrorism” in the state in the past years. Mr. Randhawa was of the opinion that the present SGPC leader ship (Mr. Tohra) should be re moved in the coming elections as it had failed to “manage the religious places in a proper manner.” He said if the present leadership succeeded in winning the elections again, the control of the gurdwaras would go into the hands of “militants.” This would not be in the interest of the state.

The Congress is not putting up candidates in the SGPC elections nor supporting any organization. Then whom does it want to win the elections? This was not clear from the speeches of the speakers. Only Mr. Randhawa called upon the voters to elect those candidates who had a “clean” image. While Mr. Randhawa’s speech was soft worded, the tone adopted by other speakers, including Mr. Sadhu Singh Dharmsot, MLA from Maloh, was aggressive. In fact, it was he who first touched the topic of the SGPC elections in his speech. Mr. Sadhu Singh called upon the voters to cash Akali candidates to clarify their stand on religion and politics.

One of the speakers told this correspondent that if the Akali Dal (Badal) won the SGPC elections in a big way, it would become very difficult for the Congress to face the Akalis in the coming Vidhan Sabha elections which were not far away. Moreover, he said, in most rural constituencies the Akali Dal would get a chance to campaign against the Congress. So to neutralize the Akali Dal campaign in these elections. which would have its effect on the next Vidhan Sabha elections, it was imperative to hit out at the Akali Dal and its policies.

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 4, 1996