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Drugs to spurious liquor: Punjab is jinxed as Congress and Akali Dal become same side of the coin


 

Drugs to spurious liquor: Punjab is jinxed as Congress and Akali Dal become same side of the coin

 

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

It has ceased to matter as to which party is in power in Punjab.


From deaths due to drugs to the killer liquor, the narrative remains unchanged.


For record, the Congress in 2017 replaced the Akali Dal-BJP combine that ruled for a record two terms. That has been the only change. Everything else remains the same.


Change over a period is otherwise the law of nature and at that level, some changes can be observed.


Along with the drugs, now spurious liquor is freely available.


Earlier, the money used to change hand under the table. Now it is not uncommon to see officials accepting bundles transparently and brazenly. There has to be some change.


Of course, there is now also a rag-tag organisation that is known as the Aam Aadmi Party that had been given the mandate by the people to function as the main opposition to marginalise the Akalis completely. AAP refused to respect that mandate and opted to self-destruct.


The over-ambitious people who had joined AAP never visualised the role of being in opposition. That proved to be its undoing as these people did not know as to how to behave as opposition. Many of them could lose even their security deposit in case they take another chance.


It is for this reason that Punjab is all the more jinxed. The people had tried but got rebuffed.


The polity is getting back to bi-polarity despite the fact that difference has ceased to exist between the Congress and the Akali Dal.


The Congress and the Akali Dal are now the same side of the same coin. The other side of the coin is blank.


One has to change the name of the leader on the statements issued over different space and time. Or just remove the name from them and one won’t be able to make out the difference.


The only common denominator is the crisis in which this state has landed.


Should not one go back to 1996 when people of this state were promised almost every day till February 1997 to turn Punjab into California?


The Congress issued a manifesto before the February 2017, only to forget it. But then Capt Amarinder Singh had sworn on a Gutka in the run up to the elections.


There is one change now. This government is not owned by the Congressmen. Several ministers registered their protest against the chief secretary who was about to retire. He was suitably accommodated, rather rewarded.


The chief minister has  a lot of advisers.


However, the retired bureaucrat that he chose to run his government has at least thrice returned his official vehicles and staff to give the impression that he does now want to continue. He is ‘persuaded’ to return. It is too well known as to who are his opponents in the CMO that this official heads.


Action has been taken in the spurious liquor case against several officials but at the lower level.


The Congress used to attack the Akali mafia before coming into power for the drug menace.


Now the Akali Dal is using the same terminology as opposition party.


It is also too well known that mafia can’t operate without political patronage.


The Congress had promised to change the excise policy. But then it suits every ruling party.


Where should the buck stop under this situation?


The people should resign - to their fate?

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Jaswant Brar3 August 2020 at 13:32

    Jagtar Singh ji you have done an excellent job in analyzing the present situation in Punjab politics. Your analysis elaborates the dancing going on within the traditional parties and the new emerging APP. As both traditional parties are getting closer and APP being official opposition could not understand and play it's role. As a result it is loosing it's relevance being a THIRD ALTERNATIVE IN PUNJAB. SO AS A RESULT THE VACUUM FOR THIRD ALTERNATIVE STILL EXISTS IN PUNJAB POLITICS. I fully agreed with your analysis and congratulations for the wonderful work.

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