Won't change CAA stand for BJP: Akali Dal not to fight Delhi polls

Divergence within the NDA over Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) came to the fore on Monday once again with Akali Dal announcing that it will not be contesting Delhi elections, saying it cannot change its stand on the controversial issues on the saffron party's insistence.

Akali Dal, which has been contesting in alliance with the BJP in Delhi in the past, severed its electoral alliance in Delhi but would not be fielding against its ally, indicating its growing uneasiness with the party over a range of issues. However, it has not announced pulling out from the NDA.

It is the third party in the NDA after Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), which had raised questions about the CAA and NRC.

"Akali Dal and BJP have an old relationship. Akali Dal is of the firm stand that Muslims cannot be left out of CAA. We are strongly against NRC. We cannot accept that Indians will have to stand in queues to prove their identity. During our meeting with BJP, we were asked to reconsider our stand on CAA but we declined," Delhi Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa told reporters.

"So, instead of changing our stand, we decided not to fight the Delhi elections," he said.

In 2015 polls, Akali Dal was allotted four seats in Sikh-dominated areas and this time too, it was slated to get the same number of constituencies to fight.

There has been simmering tension in the relationship between BJP and Akali Dal over the way NDA is functioning. Its leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, son of former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, had demanded that Muslims should be included in the CAA while participating in the debate in Parliament but had voted in favour of the Bill.

The party also did not support a resolution passed in Punjab Assembly against CAA a few days ago. Senior Akali Dal leader and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral had earlier voiced his party's displeasure over the functioning of the NDA, saying the BJP has an absolute majority and they were not dependent on anyone's support.

While Delhi BJP leaders insist that Akali Dal decision would have an impact, sources said this would send a wrong signal to Sikh voters. The party was hoping to take advantage of the denial of tickets to sitting AAP MLAs from Sikh communities.