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February 28, 2007 02:26 IST
Senior Akali leaders are upset with the manner in which Bhartiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley has been cornering the credit for SAD/BJP in the recent Punjab polls for raising its tally from 2 to 19. Jaitley, who has been seen on every single channel, did not talk about Badal's image and how he has managed to return to power to become the chief minister for the fourth time.
"This wily politician cum lawyer has been projecting himself as the chief architect for the party's victory and the victory of the alliance. We know how he and Navjot Singh Sidhu went to the chief of Sacha Sauda with a begging bowl to allow their candidates to win at the hustings," an angry Akali leader said on phone from Chandigarh.
According to political watchers various theories are doing round in Punjab about the manner in which BJP cheated its partner on many important seats. While the Akali followers voted for the BJP candidates in Amritsar in particular, the same was not true of the BJP workers.
In fact Jaitley passed on the message to his candidates to ask their voters to stand in queue before five so that they do not miss out on voting.
What is annoying Akalis more is the manner in which BJP is planting questions about the deputy chief ministership through well managed media interviews. "Jaitley is a past master at the game and Uma Bharti had accused of doing the same when she was in BJP that forced her to revolt against the leadership," Akalis point out.
A senior journalist working for a major newspaper blamed Badal for not managing the resources well and ignoring the national media which has been done so skillfully by the BJP.On Wednesday Prakash Singh Badal, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, has called a meeting of the Akali-BJP newly elected MLAs to elect the new leader who would be heading the next government.
While Badal's election is a foregone conclusion it remains to be seen if the Akalis would give in to the BJP pressure and agree to give the post of deputy chief minister to its ally.
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