In huge setback for Congress in Punjab, Manpreet Badal quits and joins BJP

Chandigarh: In a major setback to the Congress, former Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal today resigned from the party and joined the BJP on Wednesday in presence of Piyush Goyal at party headquarters in Delhi.

Manpreet Badal had serious differences with Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring who was handpicked by Rahul Gandhi for the post.

Interestingly, Manpreet did not send his resignation to the newly elected president of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge but to Rahul Gandhi.

Manpreet said, “the coterie of men entrusted with the authority to dictate Delhi’s writ to the Punjab unit of the Congress is far from sound. Instead of striving to reduce internal disagreement in an already-divided house, these men acted to further increase factionalism, and strengthened the worst elements in the party.”

The development represents a major gain for the BJP as Manpreet, the nephew of Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, may help the party to extend its support base to the Jat Sikh community in rural Punjab in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. Manpreet is the second prominent leader from the Jat Sikh community after former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh who quit the Congress and joined the BJP.

Besides, Sunil Jakhar a Hindu Jat leader, who was a former state chief of the Punjab Congress, had also quit the party and joined the BJP.

The induction of these tall leaders from the farming community is expected to pave the way for the BJP to extend its reach directly into the rural heartland. The BJP has until now been a largely urban-based party and has been coming to power in the state in an alliance as a junior partner of the Akali Dal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been reaching out to the Sikh community in attending all important religious events and has announced plans for a special ropeway for the Sikh shrine in Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand. Besides, PM Modi has for the first time also observed the martyrdom day of the 10th Guru’s sons as Bal Diwas in the country as a special gesture to the Sikhs.

Manpreet Badal, who is an erudite leader having educated at Doon School and St Stephen’s College, had earlier parted ways with the Akali Dal and formed the People’s Party of Punjab due to serious differences with his cousin Sukhbir Badal who was being promoted as political heir to Parkash Singh Badal’s legacy.

In the resignation letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi, he said that seven years ago, he merged the People’s Party of Punjab with the Congress.

“I did so with immense hope, and an expectation of being integrated into an organisation with a rich history, that would allow me to serve both the people of Punjab and its interests to the best of my ability. Initial enthusiasm gradually gave way to disillusionment,” he stated in his letter.

In the letter, he also recounted the efforts he had made to “bring Punjab out of the financial mess” but said that far from being acknowledged for his efforts, he was vilified in the Punjab Congress for failing to display “what can only be described as fiscal recklessness”. However, many in the Punjab Congress do not agree with his claims as the state could not come out of inertia with no fresh recruitment or setting up of new industrial projects.

“I did so with immense hope, and an expectation of being integrated into an organisation with a rich history, that would allow me to serve both the people of Punjab and its interests to the best of my ability. Initial enthusiasm gradually gave way to disillusionment,” he stated in his letter.

In the letter, he also recounted the efforts he had made to “bring Punjab out of the financial mess” but said that far from being acknowledged for his efforts, he was vilified in the Punjab Congress for failing to display “what can only be described as fiscal recklessness”. However, many in the Punjab Congress do not agree with his claims as the state could not come out of inertia with no fresh recruitment or setting up of new industrial projects.

“I do not see the point in elaborating extensively on all the proceedings that led to my ultimate and irrevocable disaffection. Suffice it to say that the manner in which the Congress party has conducted its affairs and taken decisions, especially with regard to Punjab, has been disheartening, to say the least,” he added.

Raja Warring during the 2022 election to Vidhan Sabha alleged that the Badals reached an understanding with Manpreet to defeat him. In return, SAD helped Manpreet to win by defeating SAD’s own candidate Sarup Chand Singla.