Stir causes stirrings in Punjab politics

If everything goes according to plan, a resuscitated SAD could emerge as a central player in Punjab in three years.

Winds carrying suspended particulate matter usually blow towards Delhi from Punjab. This time, the plumes from teargas shells used on farmers on Delhi’s borders will likely cloud the vision of those in the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) negotiating to revive the alliance between their party with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab.

In 2020, when the last round of the farmers’ agitation took place, SAD supremo, the late Parkash Singh Badal, and S S Dhindsa returned their Padma Bhushan awards, protesting the government’s treatment of farmers. The casualty of round two of the ongoing stir will be an alliance