Warring: Why is SAD so desperate for BJP alliance?

Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday asked why SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal was so “desperate” for an electoral alliance with the BJP that he had to make a “U-turn” on a sensitive matter like delimitation of the assembly and parliamentary constituencies.

The remark came a day after the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) demanded that Parliament pass the women’s reservation bill and the delimitation bill with a uniform 50 per cent increase in seats for states so that they are implemented without further delay.

The Badal-led party announced its revised stand on the delimitation issue after its president’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Friday left political circles abuzz with talk of a patch-up with the BJP. Warring recalled and reminded Sukhbir that in April, the SAD had strongly opposed the delimitation bill and described it as “against the interests of Punjab”.

“So, what changed within these three months that you started seeing merit in the same bill that you otherwise found against Punjab’s interests?” he asked, while remarking, “Sukhbir has turned more loyal than the king within no time”.

In a statement, the Ludhiana MP noted that the reasons are obvious that Badal, who is “desperate” for his political survival, is trying to woo the BJP so that it agrees for an electoral alliance ahead of the 2027 assembly elections in the state.

He said when the Akalis failed to reach an alliance with the BJP ahead of the parliamentary elections, Sukhbir had claimed that he did not want to compromise on the interests of Punjab.