Guess why loudmouth Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra has suddenly increased the decibel levels? Why his henchmen have resigned from the Punjab Cabinet? And why the Akali Dal appears on the verge of collapse? And why there’s s much muscle-flexing vis-à-vis the BJP-led Government at the Centre that Atal Behari Vajpayee and his cronies appear battered and bruised after every encounter with the sardars?

It has a lot to do with the state of the head of the state. Actually more like the health of the head of state. Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal is seriously ill, which apparently is a “closely-guarded secret”, though the average panwallah in Chandigarh serves up this piece of gossip with some extra supari.

Badal is being treated at the PGI, Chandigarh and, as the paanwallah and some less-informed state honchos point out, is unlikely to last out the spring of 1999. He was operated for a cancerous growth in his liver in the United States earlier this year. The operation was supposed to have been successful. But now after a period of remission the cells have again revolted, the cancer spreading to his vitals. Of course, all this may be pure rumour served up with extra helpings of sarson da saag.

The signs are evident. The burly Badal has lost weight, is susceptible to colds and was wearing woollens even when the first winter chill had not made it presence felt. And, of course, the usually affable and soft-spoken Akali has been given to uncharacteristic shows of irritability and is described as “crotchety and grouchy.”

Badal, in the hallowed tradition of Indian politics, has decided that his political jagir has to go his kin. His wife and daughter-in-law are virtually running the State administration, and requests for all Government jobs, for a price, are being processed by the elder Mrs Badal. But then given the patriarchy that prevails, Badal anointed successor is his son Sukhbir Singh Badal, now a Minister in the tottering Government at the Centre.

But the problem is that the public school educated, sophisticated Sukhbir, is a political novice and is ill equipped to head a party of septuagenarians. Badal, of course, believes his puttar has the panache to cut his competitors down to size, but with time running out, it remains to be seen whether the succession battle will reach a conclusion before Badal clocks out.

Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who has the unique distinction of being the most vocal of the SADdies, and can usually make himself heard above a nuclear explosion, (he did ensure that the Pokhran tests fizzled out before the Udham Singh Nagar issue) is obviously not keeping quiet. He is at his voluble best and ensuring that he gets into the pole position to take over from Badal when the times comes. Didn’t we tell you that Indian politics is sick?

So what is the political diagnosis for the ailing SAD? Terminal!

Note: We wish Badal all the best healthwise. After all, we want politicians to stay alive. Otherwise, without them, where would Jaal be?

Illustration by Siddhartha Mitra