The BJP’s militaristic pitch — post-air strikes on Pakistan and the Pulwama terror attack — are in sharp contrast with its ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)’s promotion of a scheduled meeting between Pakistani and Indian delegations at the Attari border on Thursday to conclude talks over the opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor. In an interview to BusinessLine , SAD MP and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal talked about various issues — explained that development and not national security is the NDA’s election plank, whether she herself will shift from her home constituency of Bhatinda to Ferozepur and why Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s only agenda is to split the Akalis and play “politics of vendetta”. Excerpts

It is not ironic for you to promote a gesture of peace with Pakistan at a time when the BJP is on an overdrive on militaristic nationalism?

The BJP’s pitch has always been development. It just so happened that before the elections, a dastardly attack was carried out on our jawans by Pakistan. Our forces gave a befitting reply. No civilian target was touched. Unfortunately, the Opposition politicised it and started questioning our security forces. The credit for politicising national security goes entirely to Rahul Gandhi and his 28 allies. The BJP did not start this.

Captain Amarinder Singh is talking about visa-free travel for the pilgrims; you seem to be losing the political benefits of the corridor to the Congress…

This corridor will be ready before the next Guru Purab. This government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have done something that did not happen for 70 years. Our community has been praying for it but the Congress is not a party the Sikhs can rely on. This party has done everything possible to demoralise and suppress the Sikhs whether it was the partition of Punjab when Jawaharlal Nehru did not bother about our religious sentiments and gave away a greatly revered place of worship to Pakistan. Indira Gandhi attacked the one symbol that was left in India, the Golden Temple. Rajiv Gandhi went out of his way to massacre the Sikhs. So, I am grateful to the Prime Minister and the BJP that after 70 years, our prayers have been answered and we can now hope to bow our heads where our religion starts. Despite all the tension that prevails on both sides, this is no less than a miracle. I would call it a divine intervention.

Surgical strikes seem to have ironed out your differences with the BJP over the Maharashtra government’s decision to appropriate the right to appoint the president of the managing committee of Takht Hazur Sahib. Your ties were nearly at breaking point just last month.

Whatever law was passed has been taken back. There was tension because we felt it was an interference with our religion. We raised it with Amit Shah ji and the law was withdrawn. The Sikhs have a lot to be thankful to the BJP because it was Atal Bihari Vajpayee who set up the Nanavati Commission and now a SIT has been set up and convictions are taking place in the 1984 riots cases. Sajjan Kumar (Congress MP) was convicted.

There is a split in your party with two MPs Ranjit Singh Brahmpura and Rattan Singh Ajnala having formed the Shiroman Akali Dal (Taksali). Is it not going to hurt your party?

It does not bother us. This has been the old policy of Congress. In 2012 elections, they broke Mr (Prakash Singh) Badal’s nephew and floated a new party, which then merged with the Congress and he (Manprit Singh Badal) is a minister in the Congress government. Then there was AAP whose leader (Arvind Kejriwal) swore on his children that he would never align with the Congress and then formed a government with its support in Delhi. In 2017, both these parties fought against Akalis. Now, they have broken two losers of our party who anyway used to win only because of the party’s support. Why are they not standing for elections if they are so confident?

Will you too shift your constituency from Bhatinda to Ferozepur?

That is for the party to decide. I have worked in Bhatinda for 10 years. I have brought in huge projects into the constituency, a refinery, a central university, AIIMS, upgraded schools, airport,and Shatabdi. But at the end of the day, if the party decides that another place needs to be upgraded, I would follow the decision.

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