CPI(M) general secretary HS Surjeet has ridiculed Shiromani Akali Dal chief Prakash Singh Badal for his partys opportunistic alliance with the BJP for the Punjab Assembly elections.
In a letter to Badal, Surjeet appeals to Badal not to pursue communal politics but the old policies of the Akalis, who were very much part national movement.
Such a stand will strengthen the Akali Party and enable you to contribute more to the well-being of the state, Surjeet concludes.
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Surjeet says that a marriage of convenience with the BJP will do no good to the state. Referring to the past of the Akali Dal, Surjeet says that it was very much a part of the national mainstream and only recently had efforts been made to give it a communal colour.
From this communal thinking has emerged the feeling that the Akalis represent Sikhs and the BJP represents Hindus and a combination of the two will pay rich electoral dividends, Surjeet says.
Arguing that such an interpretation is wrong, he says that this can be disruptive and against the democratic aspirations of the states population.
Surjeet has pointed out contradictions between the two parties.
He quotes a white paper of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, which says that the RSS, VHP and BJP poisonous communal propaganda have created a deep sense of insecurity among the minorities.
Further, Surjeet says that, while the Left and other democratic forces always supported the genuine demands of the people of the state, it was the BJP which resisted these.
While the Akalis stand for greater state autonomy, the BJP wants a strong Centre and the BJP denies the Akali belief that India consists of various nationalities, Surjeet says.
He says that under your leadership, the sole aim of the Akali Party seems to be to saddle itself in power, even if it means sacrificing the principles for which the Akali party has stood.