Chandigarh October 28:
At this critical juncture in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as well as his extended family, when his son and nephew are feuding, apparently over succession, the four-time chief minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal won't say whether he would contest the next elections (he has no doubts about his fitness, though).
However, the octogenarian SAD patron, whose son Sukhbir Badal has been groomed to take over the party, and in all probability, the state, is quite keen that they move ahead in keeping with the modern times even as he bids a final goodbye to the policy of 'morchas' and non-cooperation movements.
"The party has to move with the times. There were times when nobody had heard of electricity, and then came the electric fan, which meant a life in paradise. Now, there is no limit to technology. Change is the need of the day," says SAD veteran, who is overseeing the transformation of the party, from the one belonging to diehard, blue-turbaned, kurta-pyjama clad, always-ready-for-a-confrontation sons-of-the-soil, to a party eager to induct suave, English-speaking, public-school educated youngsters, who are at ease wearing their Reeboks and Nikes with well-cut kurta-pyjamas as well as Armani suits with colourful turbans.
If the number of years spent behind bars is no longer the criteria for becoming a successful leader in SAD, what are the new qualifications? "Whosoever works hard in the party, would get credit," says Badal, even as he laments how politics has become a "profession" these days, unlike his times, "when partymen never sought credit for their contribution in the party".
SAD has abandoned its policy of protests for some years now, but Badal bid a final goodbye to the old, trusted methods of the party in an media, saying "for how long can you go on staging 'morchas'. We have spent our lives fighting for justice for Punjab, and after many sacrifices, whenever we got close to achieving our goal, the Centre went back on its word," says the SAD patron, who himself has spent about 18 odd years behind bars for his participation in non-cooperation movements, including one against emergency.
While getting down to brass tacks, it would be once again be a 'Centre versus state' battle for SAD, when it's time to elect the next state government in 2012. "Hamara to khoon ka katra katra is desh ke liye lag gaya, hamme phir bhi badnaam kiya jata hain. Kabhi algaav vadi kehte hain aur kabhi militant (We sacrificed every drop of our blood for this country, but we were always given a bad name, labelled as separatists and militants)," said Badal, who is rarely heard speaking in Hindi, while attempting to take on the Centre's alleged biases against Punjab. "Centre's stepmotherly treatment is beyond our comprehension," he says.
At this critical juncture in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as well as his extended family, when his son and nephew are feuding, apparently over succession, the four-time chief minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal won't say whether he would contest the next elections (he has no doubts about his fitness, though).
However, the octogenarian SAD patron, whose son Sukhbir Badal has been groomed to take over the party, and in all probability, the state, is quite keen that they move ahead in keeping with the modern times even as he bids a final goodbye to the policy of 'morchas' and non-cooperation movements.
"The party has to move with the times. There were times when nobody had heard of electricity, and then came the electric fan, which meant a life in paradise. Now, there is no limit to technology. Change is the need of the day," says SAD veteran, who is overseeing the transformation of the party, from the one belonging to diehard, blue-turbaned, kurta-pyjama clad, always-ready-for-a-confrontation sons-of-the-soil, to a party eager to induct suave, English-speaking, public-school educated youngsters, who are at ease wearing their Reeboks and Nikes with well-cut kurta-pyjamas as well as Armani suits with colourful turbans.
If the number of years spent behind bars is no longer the criteria for becoming a successful leader in SAD, what are the new qualifications? "Whosoever works hard in the party, would get credit," says Badal, even as he laments how politics has become a "profession" these days, unlike his times, "when partymen never sought credit for their contribution in the party".
SAD has abandoned its policy of protests for some years now, but Badal bid a final goodbye to the old, trusted methods of the party in an media, saying "for how long can you go on staging 'morchas'. We have spent our lives fighting for justice for Punjab, and after many sacrifices, whenever we got close to achieving our goal, the Centre went back on its word," says the SAD patron, who himself has spent about 18 odd years behind bars for his participation in non-cooperation movements, including one against emergency.
While getting down to brass tacks, it would be once again be a 'Centre versus state' battle for SAD, when it's time to elect the next state government in 2012. "Hamara to khoon ka katra katra is desh ke liye lag gaya, hamme phir bhi badnaam kiya jata hain. Kabhi algaav vadi kehte hain aur kabhi militant (We sacrificed every drop of our blood for this country, but we were always given a bad name, labelled as separatists and militants)," said Badal, who is rarely heard speaking in Hindi, while attempting to take on the Centre's alleged biases against Punjab. "Centre's stepmotherly treatment is beyond our comprehension," he says.
