By Express News Service
NEW DELHI:  The BJP brass on Tuesday took stock of the political situation in Punjab. BJP chief J P Nadda and Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah were briefed about the situation in the state by the Punjab core group of the party.

The easing of the Covid-19 restrictions has set off political campaigns in Punjab, with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) taking the lead by forging an alliance with BSP for the next year’s polls. The BJP in contrast continues to face protests by farmers over the three farm laws. “The prevailing political situation in Punjab is highly adversarial to the BJP. The state unit of the party can get some breather if the farmers withdraw their agitation against the farm laws,” said a senior BJP functionary.

While the BJP leadership has been insisting upon the party leaders in Punjab to explain the benefits of the farm laws, the saffron outfit has not made much headway in its outreach to the farmers. On Tuesday, the BJP leaders against asked the state unit of the party to scale up the new pro-farmer measures, including direct transfer of MSP into the accounts of the farmers in place of the earlier system of payment through Arhaitiyas. 

Having been a junior ally of the SAD in Punjab for decades, the BJP is faced with the prospects of fighting it out alone in the state. The BJP brass has begun consultations with the party’s key leaders on next year’s election, which also includes Punjab. “The BJP will aim to become the third force in the state and gain enough space to become relevant,” added the BJP functionary.  The BJP had won three out of the 23 Assembly seats contested in the 2017 state polls in alliance with SAD.