Battle of brothers in Punjab begins

Amitabh Shukla / Chandigarh

A son is more important than brother and succeeds his father in politics. The Akalis and Congress could have differences on almost everything under the sun but there is complete unanimity and merging of ideas on this. Blood is thicker than water but it gets all the more thick when a son is involved.

In the battle of brothers in Punjab, two of the tallest leaders of the state, find themselves on the same side of the coin. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is face to face with Gurdas Badal in the electoral arena of Lambi while PCC President and chief ministerial hopeful Captain Amarinder Singh battles his brother Malvinder Singh, the face of Congress rebellion in the state, an Akali rival and a prize catch for the party on the eve of polls.

Amarinder’s supporters bagged a lion’s share in ticket distribution in Punjab and some say it is the Captain’s show this time round. If Congress wins, the Maharaja of Patiala will get the credit and obviously chief Ministership, if it doesn’t, it could well be a political sunset for him as he will have to make way for younger leaders and his authority would be completely eroded.

However, even as Amarinder was getting tickets in New Delhi for his camp followers, he could not or rather did not make any attempt to get a ticket for his brother Malvinder from Samana as he wanted his son Raninder to make a debut in the Punjab Assembly after he failed to enter Lok Sabha from Bathinda in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Malvinder may have played second fiddle to his elder brother and helped the Captain nurture the home-turf of Patiala all his life but turned the tables at his brother at the most crucial juncture after he was denied ticket and his nephew made the grade. He cited the word “honour” and repeats it continuously for changing sides at an age when he doesn’t have a great political future ahead and had been in the Congress for several decades. It is more of a “political revenge” than looking for greener pastures and fortunes in other parties.

For the septuagenarian Badal, in the evening of his political career spanning over five decades, son Sukhbir Singh Badal was obviously more important and the chosen successor and not nephew Manpreet Badal. With little prospects of career progression in the parent party with cousin Sukhbir around and dominating the show, Manpreet revolted last year and is now at the helm of Sanjha Morcha, an alliance comprising of Punjab People’s Party, some breakaway factions of Akali Dal and also Left, which has lost its political base in Punjab to the Akalis and Congress.

For Gurdas Badal, who always lived in the shadow of his more illustrious brother, Parkash and was content in nurturing Lambi for decades, severing his 8 decade old ties with the four-time chief minister brother must have been painful. But again, he did so because of his son. For him too, son Manpreet was more important than brother Parkash, forcing him to contest the first election of his life as a PPP nominee when he is already into his 80s and doesn’t have any political future.

What is common between Amarinder and Badal is the belief in the dictum that a son succeeds a father. They believe that a nephew or a brother does not have a role in succession and should not aspire to succeed a successful uncle or a brother. In Maharashtra, family battle in Shiv Sena was on similar lines when son Uddhav Thakre was preferred by party supremo Bal Thakre rather then nephew Raj who formed his own party.

Again neither Malvinder nor Gurdas Badal would speak anything against their brothers. Similarly Amarinder and Parkash Badal do not speak against their estranged brothers and so far the family feud has not become a public spectacle.

Malvinder hints at the role of his sister-in-law Praneet Kaur, wife of Amarinder, the MP of Patiala and Union Minister for his political marginalization and denial of ticket. Gurdas Badal talks of how his elder brother promised to make Manpreet the successor but forgot to implement his promise and instead promoted son Sukhbir.

The battle of brothers has only begun. As the political temperature increases, Punjab would be keenly watching how it unfolds. (10.1.2012)

http://dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/33888-battle-of-brothers-in-punjab-begins.html