All is not well with the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance in Punjab. After the Enforcement Directorate summoned Minister Bikram Singh Majithia for questioning in the synthetic drugs case on December 26 and the BJP decided to start a campaign against drug addiction in the State, Punjab’s ruling family — the Badals — have decided to launch a counter-attack.
Mr. Majithia is Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s brother-in-law and closest political aide. The SAD has decided to organise sit-in protests against drug smuggling on January 5 in the border towns of Amritsar and Ferozepur as well as areas along the Punjab-Rajasthan border, top party sources told The Hindu on Sunday.
The protests will pre-empt BJP president Amit Shah’s plans to launch a campaign against drugs in Punjab from Amritsar on January 12.
The party is also planning a 10-day counter-campaign on the drug issue aimed at blunting Mr. Shah’s efforts before he gets there. The party’s tallest leaders — Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and Mr. Sukhbir Badal — lashed out at the BJP on Saturday at a public meeting at Fatehgarh Sahib as part of a two-day religious congregation.
The two blamed the Centre and the BJP-ruled States of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh that produce opium, for the drug problem. Mr. Sukhbir Badal said the BSF, controlled by the Centre, was unable to control drug smuggling across the international border. “Drugs are coming from across the border and neighbouring States. Not a single ounce of drug is produced in the State,” he added. The father-son duo also spoke out against religious conversions. “No one has the right to dictate terms to people belonging to other religions,” the Deputy CM said.
After the ED summoned Mr. Majithia on the eve of the State Vidhan Sabha session, State BJP leaders also joined the chorus of voices demanding his resignation, irking the SAD further. The party felt betrayed by the timing of the summons and saw it as a ploy by the BJP for political reasons. “Five Central agencies looked into the case during the UPA’s time. No one felt the need to summon him. There is tremendous pressure from our cadres to break the tie-up,” an SAD leader said.
