The ruling party has started sniffing the political grounds, especially after the change of guards in the Pradesh Congress Committee with Amarinder Singh, scion of the former princely family of Patiala, replacing Rajinder Kaur Bhattal at the helm of affairs and reports of Bhattal also being replaced as Leader of the Congress Legislature Party.

The three-party front comprising the two Communist Parties and the Bahujan Samaj Party, proposes a two-hour call for industrial strike all over the State along with demonstrations in major towns in the first week of next month to protest against the rising prices and the hike in bus fares. These parties joined hands recently to launch agitations jointly. The effort is to bring all the secular democratic Opposition parties on one platform to confront the Akali Dal-BJP combine.

The Congress, which is now engaged in organising party meetings at the district level as a part of the reorganisation-cum-rejuvenation effort after its rout, has also begun to attract unexpected response. ``The people are getting disillusioned with the policies and programmes of the ruling combine,'' says Amarinder Singh who claims that the Akali Dal supporters are joining the ranks of the Congress.

The three-party front aims at broadbasing the agitation by involving various sections of the society, especially in the urban areas. During the panchayat elections, even the Congress had joined hands with these parties in protesting against irregularities but the Congress, as Amarinder Singh said after taking over as president, would like these agitations to be launched under its own banner.

Senior Akali leaders are trying to assess the reasons for the increasing response the Opposition is getting and some of them feel that it is time for introspection. Already, the Akali rank and file is not so happy with the state of affairs.

``Though it is not indication enough of the Akali Dal losing ground, yet we are trying to find out the reasons for the encouraging response to the Opposition as its repercussions in the long term cannot be overlooked,'' said a senior minister.

Meanwhile, CPI State secretary Joginder Dayal, CPI (M) secretary Balwant Singh and BSP State party chief C D Singh Kamboj, have, in a joint statement, strongly criticised the ``authoritarian and undemocratic'' attitude of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal towards peaceful movements on the burning problems the people are facing.

Badal, while addressing senior police officers here on Tuesday, had directed them to handle these agitations effectively and tactfully so that the general public was not harassed. It is being interpreted as a signal to the authorities to be tough with the agitators. They said it reflected utter frustration of the chief minister.

They said instead of directing the police officers to resort to repressive measures to crush peaceful and democratic movements, the chief minister should have taken them to task for their failure to maintain law and order.

The leaders made it clear that the three parties would fight back and continue the agitation.