Congress to Akalis: Vote as per your conscience

TRUST ISSUE: The Akalis may face erosion in public support by not supporting a Sikh PM.

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Keywords: Trust Vote, Dmk

Chandigarh: It's a criticial day for the UPA as key regional parties go into a huddle to decide who to support during the trust vote. The National Conference and the Akali Dal meet on Tuesday to decide on the trust vote on July 22. The two parties together command 10 Lok Sabha seats.

National Conference Chief, Omar Abdullah met both External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee as well as CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat last week. However, he is yet to disclose whether the party's two votes would go in support of the Government or against it.

Meanwhile, chinks are appearing in UPA's armour as it's biggest ally, the DMK, with Dayanidhi Maran is planning to abstain from the trust vote.

Earlier, the ruling Akalis in Punjab had made it clear that they would follow their alliance partner, the BJP, during the motion of confidence. However, now they have called a meeting on Tuesday to discuss their stand afresh as a section of the Akalis feel it would be improper to unseat a Prime Minister who has brought great pride to the Sikh community worldwide.

The Congress, in an unprecedented move, is appealing to Akali MPs to vote as per their conscience and not as per party diktat.

The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee has traditionally been dominated by the Akalis. But the SGPC is now deeply divided over the question of backing a Sikh Prime Minister in his hour of crisis.

SGPC Member, M S Calcutta says, "We should support him right now as he is a Sikh Prime Minister."

The former Akali Minister has also written an open letter to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Chief, Sukhbir Singh Badal, urging him to direct Akali MPs to support the Indo-US Nuclear Deal, but other SGPC members insist a rapprochement with the Congress is impossible.

SGPC Member, Kiranjot Kaur says, "The Congress has committed atrocities on the Sikh in the past which we have still not forgotten. There are even recent incidents which have no solutions to the satisfaction of the Sikh community."

But it's this division that the Congress is now trying to encash in Punjab. It is asking the Akalis to rise above party lines and support the Manmohan Singh Government during the trust vote on July 22. It's an appeal that the Akali leadership has so far rebuffed.

SAD Supremo and Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal says, "We are active members of the NDA and NDA's decision will be ours as well."

Yet, despite that public posture, the Akalis know that they might face erosion in public support by deciding not to support a Sikh Prime Minister. And it's this dilemma that faces the Akalis as they meet to decide on their stand during the trust vote.

(With inputs from Avneet Taneja in Chandigarh)