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Badal hails himself before empty
opposition benches
Gian Inder Singh
CHANDIGARH:To the
empty opposition benches, Parkash Singh Badal spoke remarkably well.
He seemed to be more comfortable in the total absence of the
Opposition members, a state of comfort which he also enjoys within
the party and wants to perpetuate. With the opposition members
having a dharna outside the Assembly, accusing the ruling Akali
regime of browbeating supporters of the opposition, slapping false
cases on them and intimidating the Congress MLAs even inside the
Assembly, Badal said he counted peace and communal harmony in the
state as the biggest achievements of his life, and called Punja “I
count the preservation of peace, communal harmony and Punjabi unity
as the biggest achievement of my life. Even if I have to lay down my
life in the defence of this cause, I would consider it a small
price,” Badal stated in the Vidhan Sabha while winding up the
discussion on the Governor’s Address.
Many did not miss
noticing the fact that Badal had picked up a line from Indira
Gandhi’s speech often peddled by the official Indian establishment
as her golden words. Good and meaningless, because they carried no
conviction. Instead, Badal, who often goes so far to say that the
Congress has no right to ask for votes and is widely considered as
having turned the Akali Dal into a family fiefdom, instead called
the opposition “confrontationist” and said there should be an end to
confrontational politics. Of course on his part, he has indeed made
a behind the scenes deal with Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and her cronies
but former CM Amarinder Singh was proving one up on him.
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A peeved Badal called Sukhpal SIngh Khaira names in the
Assembly, and made jokes so cheap that even the Speaker of the
Assembly was immediately forced to announce that the CM’s
remarks were being expunged. |
Now, younger MLAs
like Sukhpal Singh Khaira are showing him the red flag everyday.
Having failed to control Khaira who manages the headlines every
second day because of his smart approach to politics, a peeved Badal
called him names in the Assembly, and made jokes so cheap that even
the Speaker of the Assembly was immediately forced to announce that
the CM’s remarks were being expunged. No wonder the Opposition
walked out and Sukhbir Badal ran to claim that the Congress has no
issue to raise and was therefore not interested in the House.
Manpreet Badal presented his budget to empty oppostion benches which
did not protest much. So perhaps he too can claim victory. Badal
said people’s issues and development alone should constitute
parties’ agenda. He regretted that “certain elements in the
Congress” had a stake in carrying on with confrontation and vendetta
because they had neither political ideology nor economic agenda. His
finger was clearly pointed to Amarinder Singh who, he knows, is one
of the leaders in the Congress who can take on the Badals. In the
feudal matrix of Punjab politics, offsprings of Badal and Amarinder
are trying to lock electoral horns in Bathinda though both have not
got the party tickets yet.
11
March 2009
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