Every party worker dreams of having BJP government in Punjab: Former minister Kalia

Senior BJP leader and former minister Manoranjan Kalia on Tuesday said every party worker has a dream of having a BJP government in Punjab, while another party leader Madan Mohan Mittal pitched for contesting 50 per cent seats in the 2022 assembly polls.

The remarks came a day after the Shiromani Akali Dal decided against contesting the Delhi Assembly polls as it was asked by its ally BJP to change its stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act, which it has vehemently refused.

At present, the BJP has an alliance with the SAD in Punjab. According to seat-sharing arrangements between both the alliance partners, the BJP fights on 23 seats and Akalis field their candidates on 94 seats in assembly polls.

 

During parliamentary elections, the SAD fights on 10 seats and the BJP on three. Both parties had stitched an alliance in 1997.

"Each worker in Punjab has a dream of having our party's own government in the state. For realisation of this dream, every worker will have to work hard," former minister Kalia said.

Echoing a similar sentiment, Mittal said they have conveyed to the party high command that their workers were not satisfied with contesting just 23 seats in Punjab.

"We have been fighting on 23 seats since 1997 (when the BJP and the SAD entered into an alliance). Punjab is a progressive and industrially developed state and it is not possible to carry on with just 23 seats," he said.

"In order to satisfy our workers, we have to fight on more number of seats. We at least want 50 per cent seats (total 117 assembly constituencies). We want that the BJP should contest 59 seats and the Akalis can fight on 58 seats," Mittal added.

A few days ago, another BJP leader and former minister Master Mohan Lal had reportedly said in Jalandhar that the saffron party should go alone in the 2022 assembly polls.

Responding to the statement, senior SAD leader and party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said, "This is not a good thing, not just Master Mohan Lal, but some other state unit leaders of theirs have been making such statements in the media. Our party feels that some of their leaders through such public statements make an attempt to browbeat an alliance partner, which is not right.