The build up for the Vichar Baithak of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) at Shimla last week had led to high expectations. Not just because the brain storming session of the party was to be held in the cool environs of Shimla where its coalition partner, the BJP just had a similar session, but because it was perhaps the first time that the party had chosen to hold such a session outside the confines of gurdwaras and its staid office premises to a five-star extravaganza. Almost the entire high-end Oberoi Cecil Hotel was booked for the delegates, although the session was held in the statelier Peterhoff.

Besides, the session was the first one convened by the young president of the party, Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also took over legitimately as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister last month.

To provide a further boost to the expectations before the summit, state Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, unleashed a controversy by declaring that he was opposed to the unlimited subsidies to the farmers. He added that he was in favour of a cap on subsidies and upped the ante by saying that the government had “wasted” its two-and-a-half years of rule.

All this had led to presumptions that the meeting would be stormy and a radical change could be expected with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal playing second fiddle. But three days after the Akali leadership and its supporters had swamped Shimla, the outcome proved to be a damp squib.

Not only did Manpreet keep mum, the “resolutions” contained little that was new. Most of the time was taken in lauding the government and its schemes.

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