The war was declared long ago, but the most recent battle between the Badals and the Patiala Royals has a clear loser: the former Punjab chief minister. His expulsion from the state Assembly, probably the first of its kind for a former CM, has a far more complicated build-up than a mere topping up of the list of cases registered against him.

The prolonged phase of the “politics of vendetta” in Punjab — conducted under the shadow of combating corruption — has Amarinder as its latest ‘victim’. But be it Amarinder Singh this time or the Badals some years ago, there has not been much change, except for the change of guard. The Badals have long accused Amarinder Singh of having unleashed a “vendetta drive” against them when he was the CM between 2002 and 2007. Now the Captain, say his detractors, is getting a taste of his own bitter medicine.

Akali Dal supremo Sukhbir Singh Badal is not likely to forget the seven days he and his then 78-year old father, current Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, had to spend in jail after being booked for amassing disproportionate assets, in excess of Rs 3,500 crore. “There were lizards all over the cell. They were trying days and nights . My father was more composed,” Sukhbir told The Indian Express. Eventually, however, the chargesheet against the Badals reflected just Rs 78 crore of disproportionate assets. But the matter was far from over.

The allegations of corruption aggressively pursued against the Badals by Amarinder to clinch power in 2002, turned around when it came to the next Assembly elections in 2007. This time the corruption plank became the Akali Dal’s weapon and forced Amarinder out of power.

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