Rift in PDA as Bains bros refuse to join stir

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 22

The Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA), which was seen as a new hope for the third front during the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, is on the verge of split.

The Lok Insaaf Party, one of the main alliance partners, has refused to hold any joint activities with other allies. The six-party alliance included Lok Insaaf Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Punjab Ekta Party (PEP), Nawa Punjab Party, Communist Party of India and Revolutionary Marxist Party of India.

Sukhpal Khaira-led PEP had given a call for a protest on Monday against expensive power in front of PSPCL office in Patiala. All other allies sent their representatives, but none from the LIP turned up.

Khaira confirmed that the Bains brothers did not respond to their calls. “Dr Dharamvira Gandhi also tried to contact them just before the protest, but they remained unresponsive. But we are hopeful that they will join hands with other partners in interest of the state,” he said.

Dr Gandhi said both Balwinder Singh Bains and Simarjeet Singh Bains had been incommunicado after the Lok Sabha poll. “But we want them to join us to make a genuine regional political party, which can protect the state’s interests.” All attempts to contact Bains remained futile.

These days Simarjeet Bains is organising “sada paani, sada haq” campaign under which he has been demanding Rs 16 lakh crore from Rajasthan as cost for water given to the state. However, he didn’t formally invite any of the partners to join the protest.

However, hope for the LIP coming back to the fold of the PDA seems dim as another blow came recently, when the party announced Jarnail Nangal as its candidate for the Phagwara Assembly bypoll. The seat fell vacant after BJP leader Som Parkash was elected to the Lok Sabha. Sources said all partners were upset as none of them was taken into confidence by the LIP.