Shiromani Akal Dal (SAD) MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has alleged that the BJP is trying to split her party, a former ally of the ruling party, in a repeat of what they did in Maharashtra. Some of the “stooges of the BJP are trying to break the party”.

The SAD MP was referring to the splits in Shiv Sena and NCP allegedly engineered by the BJP as part of what is often described as “Operation Lotus” to topple the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde joined hands with the BJP to form a new government. Later, Ajit Pawar broke his uncle Sharad Pawar’s party in the similar fashion.

“They want to do the same as they did in Maharashtra. The SAD is united and they are going to fail. Out of the 117 leaders, only 5 leaders are against Sukhbir Badal, while 112 leaders are standing with the party and Sukhbir Badal,” Harsimrat Kaur Badal said.

Another SAD leader Paramjit Singh also said that Operation Lotus is underway. “I will prove that this is Operation Lotus… BJP wants to weaken and finish all regional parties. We will not let that happen…” Singh assured.

Operation Lotus refers to the BJP allegedly luring opposition MLAs to defect and join them.

The party passed a resolution on Tuesday which stated that the BJP and its “agencies” are attempting to “weaken or break” SAD. “Frustrated elements sponsored by BJP to float parallel party or weaken party from within,” the SAD stated.

“SAD president urges ‘frustrated politicians’ to learn from Maharashtra. The BJP broke up regional party but people rejected the dummy creation,” it added.

The SAD is currently facing a crisis after senior leaders like Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Bidi Jagir Kaur, among others, revolted against party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, demanding his resignation as well as a change in the leadership following the party’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections.

Dhindsa held a meeting in Jalandhar on Tuesday in which he said that the leaders and workers have expressed concern over the Lok Sabha performance, in which the SAD won only one of the 13 parliamentary seats in the state, down from two in 2019. The Bathinda seat was retained by Badal’s wife Harsimrat.

Former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Bibi Jagir Kaur blamed Badal for the party’s current state.

“There was a discussion regarding what we lost and gained in recent times. All supporters of SAD are worried about how to rise back from the situation in which we are. We have tried to speak to the party chief (Sukhbir Singh Badal) but he never listens to us,” Kaur told reporters.

“He does not try to rectify the shortcomings. So everyone thought that if the SAD is to be strengthened, then all of us should sit together and have a discussion… We are worried about why the people of Punjab are not accepting us. We will go to the Akal Takht Sahib on July 1 and ask for forgiveness for the losses that occurred because of our silence,” Kaur added.

Akali leader Daljit Singh Cheema clarified that “in a democracy, there is always a difference of opinion. If one or two people have a difference of opinion, then it is not a revolt. But there is a system. Party analysis and introspection are still going on.”

Meanwhile, SAD core committee member, Balwinder Singh Bhundal, said that 99 per cent of the members are with Sukhbir Singh Badal.

In a post on X on Tuesday, the SAD also urged party leaders and cadre, “Shiromani Akali Dal Working Committee reposes complete faith in the leadership of party president S Sukhbir Singh Badal and urges detractors not to play into the hands of Panth’s enemies. The committee asks the president to lead the efforts to expose conspiracies against the party, Panth and Punjab.

Ruling out any alliance with the BJP, Bhundal said, “Neither now nor in the future will we make any compromise with the BJP. We will not take any action against those who are trying to show their solidarity by separating from the party. Our elders have built this party by making sacrifices. There is no need to separate those who are already talking about separating from the party or going outside.”

In 2020, the SAD broke its alliance with the BJP over the controversial farm laws. But the farmers were not convinced. In the 2022 assembly election, the SAD posted one of its worst performances winning only three of Punjab’s 117 seats. While the Congress bagged 18, Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP swept the election securing 92 seats.