Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh’s could see fissures in 50 year old Shireomani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) grand alliance hoping that both would part company to make way for Congress to return to power in Punjab. If this is the perception of Amarinder Singh as evident from his statement, then he is certainly living in fool’s paradise.Stating this here today, former minister and SAD secretary Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa averred that Amarinder perceived “signs of mounting mistrust between two allies” as the BJP has announced its decision to come out with a separate manifesto. Dhindsa said that always both the allies issued separate manifestos in the past too though both jointly contested poll and had joint rallies too.“This reflects on Amarinder’s naïve understanding of politics as invariably political allies issue their separate manifestoes though they too declare separately a joint common minimum programme”, said Dhindsa adding that Amarinder needs some basis lesson in politics at this stage too.
Conceding that SAD and BJP do have some differences and that is why these two are separate political identities having separate party cadre and organization, ideology and approach. However, these differences are reflection of pluralism in political spectrum. And SAD-BJP would together administer a lethal blow to the Congress once again as new year gift.Senior Akali leader advised Amarinder not to see much in the minor differences between the two allies because the grand old alliance has been in place for five decades despite different perception. He should have no illusion that two traditional allies were progressively getting alienated. The SAD-BJP has a symbiotic relationship and even minor outbursts or needling of each other at times on certain issues should be seen nothing more than a “sibling rivalry”.