Badal's millstone?

The controversy over the tragic death of Bibi Jagir Kaur's daughter has left the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, facing a situation that could have far-reaching implications for his ties with the BJP, writes SARABJIT PANDHER.

IT IS now for the investigating agencies and the courts to uncover the mystery surrounding the death of Harpreet Kaur, teenaged elder daughter of Bibi Jagir Kaur, first woman president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages historic Sikh shrines and other social institutions. However, the incident is not just another statistic in the worsening record regarding rights of women in Punjab, where society continues to be governed by extremely patriarchal norms.

The Punjab Chief Minister and president of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, has been facing challenges from within the party and has even succeeded considerably in warding them off. It is perhaps for the first time in his present tenure as Chief Minister that he is faced with a situation that could have far-reaching implications for his ties with the BJP, with which his party has an alliance in the State.

After Harpreet Kaur died on April 21, under extremely intriguing circumstances, Mr. Badal preferred to throw his entire weight behind Bibi Jagir Kaur who faces grave charges, some even alleging that she had consented to an ``honour killing'' as the daughter had revolted and married a youth of the same village

Mystery surrounds the exact cause of the death and the failure of the Kapurthala district police to initiate a formal inquest. The hurried cremation of the body has also raised many eyebrows. On various occasions, Mr. Badal has openly defended the SGPC chief, despite voices of concern from within the party, indicating that her personal loyalty had been given priority.

For many in the BJP, the stance of Mr. Badal is a continuation of his support to Bibi Jagir Kaur when she openly promoted the controversial Nanakshahi calendar, which resulted in reinforcing the forces working for a exclusivist identity for the Sikhs. The developments in quick succession have sent signals which the BJP leadership may not have liked much. The present crisis has to be seen in the context of the recent initiative of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), which seeks to present the Sikhs as the sword arm of the Hindu society. Mr. Badal's open support for Bibi Jagir Kaur carries a major potential of creating a fissure in his relationship with the BJP-RSS.

The dissidents within the SAD also seem to have sensed the tension developing between Mr. Badal and the BJP and have made their own moves. The former SGPC chief, Mr. G. S. Tohra, who had been spitting fire against the BJP for quite sometime, has suddenly decided to maintain a silence. The other major dissident leader, Mr. Ravi Inder Singh, is reported to have opened a dialogue with the BJP-RSS leadership. These dissidents have been quoted as claiming major response from the BJP-RSS to their attempt to topple Mr. Badal.

Moreover, it would be an issue of constant anxiety for Mr. Badal to keep his flock together by wooing SGPC members and accommodating the party legislators. There is visible discontent even in Mr. Badal's most loyal group, many of whom feel Bibi Jagir Kaur has proved to be a political liability. Simultaneously, a sizeable number of members of the SGPC executive have initiated another move to dethrone her.

With controversies cropping up at such regular intervals, involving his close loyalists, it will be difficult for Mr. Badal to concentrate on issues of development and economic reconstruction of the State. His failure to attend to these issues will further annoy the people, especially in the urban and semi-urban areas where resentment has been growing against the ruling SAD ever since Mr. Badal entered the religious domain on the eve of the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the creation of the Khalsa.

Mr. Badal, who had emerged as the champion of the Punjabi community, could well be reduced to a mere ``appeaser''. It is for the third time that a serious challenge has been thrown up before Mr. Badal.

His leadership was questioned for the first time when the situation led to the ouster of Mr. Tohra. On the second occasion, his authority stood eroded when the party put up a dismal performance during the Lok Sabha elections last year.

The political fallout of Harpreet Kaur's tragic death is that it adds to a chain of events which has eroded the legitimacy of the SGPC and the SAD, not to speak of the Government and its leader.

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