By Jaideep Sarin, IANS
Chandigarh : Be it in government affairs or in ruling Akali Dal politics, Sukhbir Singh Badal’s stamp is all too visible in Punjab nowadays and it seems only a matter of time before he ascends to the chair of chief minister, now held by his father.
Seen as the political heir to his towering 81-year-old father, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the Akali Dal’s top leadership and even alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seem reconciled to the fact that Badal Junior is well on the way to assuming the top mantle.
Sukhbir’s domination in government and party affairs was never in doubt ever since the Akalis assumed power in the state in March last year. But in recent months, his stamp of authority has become even more evident. The most recent example of this was at the Punjab non-resident Indian (NRI) Sammelan (conference) held by the state government here and in Jalandhar this month.
Sukhbir dominated proceedings at the main event – even making a power-point presentation on what the state government proposes to do in the next three to four years.
That the function was a state government affair, organised jointly with the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry to woo rich NRIs from the US, Britain, Canada, Europe and other countries to invest in homeland Punjab was a different matter.
Even the agenda was set by Sukhbir, making sure that the conference went on in a ‘business-like’ fashion, even addressing the pre-conference media interaction.
“The whole conference seemed like an event planned by the Punjab government to introduce Sukhbir to the diaspora. Most NRIs were, in fact, quite impressed by him and openly demanded that he be made chief minister,” a top NRI from Britain told IANS, requesting anonymity.
Officially, Sukhbir holds no direct office in the Punjab government. He is the working president of the Akali Dal – of which his father is the president – and the sitting Akali Dal MP from Faridkot.
The 45-year-old parliamentarian, whose interests include making sculptures and skeet and trap shooting and who has a master’s degree in business management from the California State University in Los Angeles, has learnt his political tricks from his father who is now chief minister of Punjab for the fourth time.
Parkash Singh Badal, who earlier used to laugh off any questions regarding Sukhbir’s elevation as chief minister, also seems more serious now. He no longer ducks the question, saying “if the party leaders elect him, he will become”.
Alliance partner BJP, with whose support the Akali Dal government is in power, too has reconciled to Sukhbir’s elevation. “We have no problem. It is an internal matter of the Akalis,” a top state BJP leader said.
In recent weeks, Badal Junior has even been launching schemes on behalf of the state government – be it related to public health, water supply or concerning health. He was centre-stage in getting the foundation stone of a proposed international cricket stadium laid in Bathinda district in backward southwest Punjab.
The project for conversion of the existing Chandigarh domestic airport into the Mohali international airport, for which the Punjab government recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the union civil aviation ministry, is also seen as Sukhbir’s effort to present a fresh, global image of Punjab.
Even Sukhbir’s security, one of the tightest possible for any political bigwig in Punjab, has everything – from jammers to commandos with sophisticated weapons.
Already, there is speculation that Parkash Singh Badal is likely to be elevated to national politics as convenor of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), of which the Akali Dal is a part.