Chandigarh, (Punjab) [India], August 21 (ANI): Amid speculation over a possible alliance between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Friday said people in the state want the two former allies to come together, citing Punjab's status as a border state and the importance of maintaining social harmony.
Majithia recalled the longstanding political relationship between the SAD and BJP, saying the alliance had been strengthened under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, and continued during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure.
"We should understand that the Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP have worked together. Vajpayee ji and Badal ji strengthened this alliance, and it continued during Modi ji's time," Majithia said.
The SAD and BJP had ended their alliance in 2020 after the Akali Dal withdrew from the BJP-led NDA over the Centre's farm laws.
Referring to the circumstances in Punjab, Majithia said the state's position as a border state, along with concerns surrounding social harmony and its social fabric, has led people to favour a reunion between the two parties.
"We had gone our separate ways over the farm laws. But considering Punjab's situation as a border state, social harmony and the social fabric, people want the two parties to come together," he said.
However, Majithia maintained that no final decision had been taken and said the question of whether the two parties would join hands would be decided by their respective leaderships.
"Whether they will come together will be decided by the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal leadership. Harsimrat Badal has expressed the people's sentiments. What the outcome will be, only time will tell," he said.
The remarks come amid renewed political speculation in Punjab ahead of the Assembly polls, with the possibility of a realignment between the former allies being discussed in political circles.
The SAD and BJP had shared an alliance in Punjab for several decades and contested multiple Assembly and Lok Sabha elections together before their split over the farm laws.
Meanwhile, Majithia also targeted the Congress while raising questions over the party's position on Sajjan Kumar, whose funeral has become a subject of political discussion.
"Congress should clarify its position. If its leaders attend Sajjan Kumar's funeral, that would reveal the party's true face," Majithia said.
He further questioned whether Punjab Congress leaders who disagreed with Kumar being projected as a role model would stay away from his last rites.
"If Punjab Congress leaders disagree, will they boycott Sajjan Kumar's last rites? Do they really think of Sajjan Kumar as a role model?" Majithia asked.
Majithia's remarks come as political parties in Punjab begin positioning themselves ahead of the next Assembly elections, with alliance equations, electoral strategies and political issues expected to gain greater prominence in the run-up to the polls. (ANI)
"People want SAD-BJP to come together": Bikram Majithia on Punjab Alliance Speculation
