'Our people don't criticise the BJP openly'

'We just reminded the BJP that they too, should follow this dharma.'

Shiromani Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral tells Aditi Phadnis that differences with the SAD's alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party are not irrevocable.

Your party is an important ally of the BJP, yet, you along with some others, had complaints about the conduct of the party as an alliance partner...

We are one of the oldest alliance partners of the BJP and now that the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government has come to power at the Centre, we want them to do some things that Punjab has been fighting for, over several decades.

The amendment of the Gurdwara Act is one such. The Act was framed before Partition and said that anybody who believes in Sikhism can vote in the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee) elections.

We believe this should be amended and the right to vote be granted to those Sikhs who follow the tenets of the religion: Keeping a full beard, not cutting hair, not drinking alcohol etc. Not just anyone can be allowed to vote simply because they have submitted an affidavit saying they believe in Sikhism.

After a long struggle, this demand of the Sikhs was accepted by the (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee government. The then NDA government issued an executive order to this effect.

However, the order was challenged in the high court, which said that as it was a law, it needed to be changed through an amendment by Parliament.

We have been telling the government, 'Please amend this law,' and not just this government.

Manmohan Singh, who was prime minister and is a Sikh, believes the amendment is right and appropriate. But he sat on the file for months because others in his government and party (the Congress) did not agree with this: There must have been other pressures on him.

We have told the BJP that the government should not delay this: It is an important issue and it must be done. But it still hasn't happened, 18 months down the line.

Then there is the issue of the rejuvenation of irrigation canals. Over a period of time, canals have been silted up and many have shrunk.

The Manmohan Singh government had allocated Rs 700 crore (Rs 7 billion) to revive them. We need more money that this government had promised when it came to power.

There have been two consecutive failed monsoons. Punjab has defied that and managed to retain its place as India's food bowl.

We need more water to produce more food. So we told the government, 'Don't delay it, give us more money so that we can grow more food to feed India.'

We also told the BJP that we need action against those who were involved in the riots of 1984. There has to be closure on this. We want the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) to expedite its investigation and punish those who were guilty.

We and the BJP are partners. Our people don't criticise the BJP openly even if they have profound differences.

We discuss within our party and with each other, but not openly. We just reminded the BJP that they too, should follow this dharma.

The BJP's argument is that those who have been tried and convicted of sedition and attempts to overthrow the state must continue to stay in prison -- any leniency in their terms will be an insult to India...

Our line is consistent and clear. We believe in the law of the land. Which means, if someone has been tried and sentenced to life imprisonment, and life imprisonment is x number of years, he must be released when his term is over.

All those who have completed their prison terms should be released. That is the law.

How do you rate the performance of the NDA leadership in the past 18 months in terms of dealing with national problems?

We believe the government has done exemplary work. It inherited a bankrupt economy, which was paralysed by indecision on policy and administration, and has tried to turn it around.

The green shoots of recovery are already showing, as the latest GDP (gross domestic product) numbers tell us.

Yes, there is a problem with non-performing assets in public sector banks. But we have to ask ourselves who created this situation; who was fiscally so profligate in giving money away to -- largely -- wealthy people that the money never came back; who was irresponsible and negligent? Not this government!

Despite two bad monsoons, India's is the best performing economy in the world. Do you hear about corruption in high places any more? The PM is leading from the front. That is what India needs.

If that is the case, then your problem with the BJP is a local domestic one? A small quarrel within the family?

We are the BJP's oldest ally. We have never put any conditions to our participation in elections or in a government with them. Everyone left them, but we and the Shiv Sena stayed by their side.

They have assured us that there will be a coordination committee where their leaders and ours will sit together and sort out all our differences.

When is the meeting of the committee due?

There is an election in Punjab on February 13 -- the first meeting will take place sometime after that.

The PM has launched an important initiative with Pakistan. What is your opinion of it?

We are deeply appreciative of the initiative and support it irrespective of the recent happenings in Pathankot and elsewhere, which are the result of the designs of the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) and the Pakistan army.

The Pakistan army and the ISI foment trouble between the two nations. We believe India should continue to support the civilian government in Pakistan and its initiatives to normalise relations with India.

Many questions were raised about the Pathankot incident and the role of your government.

We have a porous border and Punjab is a frontline State. We are conscious of this and have been telling the government for years to augment the present of the BSF (Border Security Force) along the border. We have argued that the forces must have more modern equipment and an infiltration detecting system.

Surely all that equipment becomes useless when your own police is involved in helping those who cross over?

The central government would not have been able to prevent the attack had it not been for the Punjab police. We were the ones who told Delhi there had been an infiltration; we informed them and that is how they were able to get central forces and the SPG (Actually, the NSG, the National Security Guard) in time to Pathankot.

We even brought the superintendent of the Punjab police to Delhi. He has been given a clean chit.

Are you worried about the rise and rise of the AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) in Punjab?

If the AAP and the Congress were so sure our government was slipping why didn't they contest the Khadoor Sahib by-election on February 13?

Our constituency is in rural Punjab and it is unimpressed by AAP.

We are the only state in north India that is power surplus and provides 24x7 electricity to farmers.

Power to farmers is for free. There is great support for our social programme: 3.8 million families get atta at Rs 2 a kg and delivery mechanisms are faultless. We have an inclusive social programme for Dalits.

But leaders in your government are alleged to be engaged in the manufacture and smuggling of recreational drugs....

Name the people. You will be sued and an apology will follow (from your side) just as it was in the case of other publications that made similar irresponsible statements.

The government has investigated, the Enforcement Directorate has investigated... not an iota of evidence was found.

How do you see the period leading up to the assembly elections in 2017?

Our alliance is intact. It is healthy and in fine fettle. We have had good meetings with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP President Amit Shah. There are no serious differences and those that are there can be ironed out.

• What Naresh Gujral told Rediff.com last May: 'If there is tension on the streets, if there is insecurity amongst the minorities, then Make in India will remain a pipe dream'