By IANS
Chandigarh : Ruling alliance partners in Punjab, the Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Monday held the first meeting of a high-level coordination committee to resolve differences between both sides on governance issues.
The meeting lasted nearly three hours but top leaders from the two sides refused to reveal the issues discussed.
However, sources said that the BJP leadership feels that the Akali Dal is not taking it into confidence on important issues. Sources said that BJP leadership cited the recent power tariff hike as one example where they have not been consulted.
BJP leaders are also upset that the Akalis are trying to woo the rural electorate at the cost of the urban voters — the BJP stronghold.
The BJP has also been demanding that the post of deputy chief minister be given to them.
Akali Dal acting president Sukhbir Singh Badal who is also the son of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, former union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, state minister Kanwaljit Singh and senior leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder attended the meeting for the party.
State BJP president Rajinder Bhandari, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, Industries Minister Manoranjan Kalia and BJP’s in-charge for Punjab Balbir Punj were present at the meeting on behalf of their party.
Chief Minister Badal had last week announced the setting up of the coordination committee to sort out recent differences within the ruling alliance.
“There has been some communication gap between both sides and that will be resolved,” Badal had admitted last week.
He also said that district level committees of both parties would be formed soon to sort out local issues.
The Akali-BJP combine came to power this March. In the 117-member assembly, the Akali Dal has 49 legislators while the BJP has 19.