GONE AND BACK AGAIN: CAUGHT IN AKALI FACTION WAR, BYPOLL CANDIDATE WHO SWITCHED PARTIES TWICE IN A DAY

An Akali Dal candidate in the morning, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader soon afterwards, and back in the Akali Dal by evening. For Surjit Kaur, Tuesday was one whirlwind of a back-and-forth journey across the aisle as she attempted to negotiate the tricky political terrain ahead of the Jalandhar West Assembly bypoll scheduled on July 10.

As an internal struggle continued in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Kaur, a two-time councillor, filed nomination papers as the party’s candidate, getting its symbol “takdi (scale)” even as the party officially said it would back the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the SC-reserved constituency. The SAD disowned Kaur amid her proximity to a group of rebel party leaders among whom are former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, who was on the party panel that endorsed Kaur’s candidature for the bypoll, and former MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala. These rebel leaders on Monday appeared before the jatedhar of the Akal Takht, which is the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs, and apologised for “ four mistakes” committed when the party was in power between 2007 and 2017.

Left standing alone, Kaur joined the AAP on Tuesday morning and was welcomed by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. “I am joining the AAP to support a party which is working for the common people and their development. I will now support AAP candidate Mohinderpal Bhagat,” she said. But by the evening, the 60-year-old returned to the SAD, claiming she was still an “Akali at heart” and had been coerced into joining the ruling party. She emphasised that she would contest the bypoll as a SAD candidate.

AAP working president and Budhlada MLA Budh Ram criticised Kaur for “backtracking under pressure” and emphasised the importance of steadfastness in leadership. “I believe once a decision is made, it must be upheld without yielding to any pressures,” he said.

SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema accused rebel party leaders of placing Kaur in a difficult situation. “These leaders (rebels) should have guided her instead of pushing her into an electoral battle when the SAD had extended support to the BSP. They exploited an innocent woman,” he told The Indian Express. The Jalandhar West bypoll was necessitated because MLA Sheetal Angural quit the AAP and joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Kaur’s political journey seems to be rooted in her late husband and former councillor Jathedar Preetam Singh’s legacy. “He was a loyal Akali worker who rallied for the party’s cause and participated in their events and protests. Even senior leaders recognised his unwavering dedication (towards the party),” she said.

Kaur said her husband, who died in 2022, was a dedicated SAD worker even before they got married. “Oh badde Badal saab de bahut nede cee isse karke Badal saab tin vari sadhe ghar aaye si (He was very close to Badal senior who visited our house thrice in the past),” she said, referring to five-time Punjab Chief Minister, the late Parkash Singh Badal.

The Akali Dal candidate said her husband suffered from a chronic illness and in the early 2000s her stint as an entrepreneur ended after she was forced to sell assets worth Rs 35 lakh to cover her husband’s medical expenses. Kaur said she faced financial difficulties following her husband’s death. She currently stays in rented accommodation in the Basti Mithu area of Jalandhar with her son Deep Singh, his wife, and their three children. Kaur has declared Rs 50,000 cash and land worth Rs 7 lakh in her affidavit. “My husband did all kinds of menial jobs to make ends meet. My sole income now is the monthly Rs 1,500 widow pension I get from the government,” she said.

Kaur said she would advocate for the marginalised sections and take forward her husband’s legacy if elected. “My son is unemployed and takes up whichever odd jobs that come his way to make a living. My candidacy is not just political but is a commitment to represent the aspirations and struggles of the electorate of Jalandhar West,” she said.

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2024-07-04T02:52:08Z dg43tfdfdgfd