Both political and religious domains getting sharply polarised in Punjab, disadvantage Akali Dal

 

Both political and religious domains getting sharply polarised in Punjab, disadvantage Akali Dal

Jagtar Singh

 

Ground Zero

 

Focus in Punjab has suddenly shifted from governance to other issues and this situation is not unusual. This situation is comparable at one level to the Narendra Modi government whose failure in governance reflected in deepening economic crisis is not part of the dominant political narrative in India.

None is now talking about the scholarship scam in which the name of Social Welfare Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot surfaced. Corruption in general is no more an issue. The deaths due to spurious liquor was an issue on which the Congress government in the state headed by Capt Amarinder Singh appeared to be on the defensive.

The dominant narrative now revolves around the three farm ordinances tabled in the Lok Sabha yesterday to replace the same by the regular legislation, much to the chagrin of the Shiromani Akali Dal that is part of the Modi government.

Not that the people in urban areas don’t matter but point here is the issues that dictate the discourse.

The second major issue relates to the Sikh religious domain and it is that of the missing copies of Guru Granth Sahib. The situation got further complicated today as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee task force (security force) manhandled members of the Sikh organisations staging protests in front of the office of this so-called mini-Parliament of the Sikhs. Even media persons were not spared. The situation should have been handled at the political level.

The non-Sikh papulation (say the Hindus) might be the decising factor in the electoral outcome but the narrative in this state has always been dictated by the Sikh religio-political discourse.

The farmers have been agitating in Punjab ever since these farm ordinances were promulgated. The two states that are directly and immediately affected are Punjab and Haryana which are the main contributors of wheat and paddy to the central buffer stock and have fully developed marketing system unlike other states. These are the two states where these two crops are purchased at the MSP. Under the proposed system, the centre might not procure the entire production of wheat and paddy in these states. Presently, every grain is purchased by the government agencies with share of the private traders being virtually negligible. The procurement is done at the minimum support price.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal who is minister in the Modi cabinet have been stridently defending the ordinances terming the same as pro-farmer. The farmers refused to buy their arguments. The Badals blamed Capt Amarinder Singh for ‘misguiding” the farmers, overlooking the stand taken by the farmers organisations and the farm economists. Punjabi Tribune newspaper commissioned series of articles from farm experts and the dominant narrative that emerged was that the farmers would be harmed over the period.

The Badals refused to budge and Sukhbir Singh Badal finally fielded his father and 5-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal in defence of the ordinances. This was the last weapon that should rather have been used to make a diversion.

The damage to the Akali Dal has already been done. Farmers have been the support base of the party and Badal Senior had the image of being a pro-farmer leader. Not any more. The farmers in Punjab are predominantly the Sikhs.

The basic issue is not that of continuation of the MSP regime but assured procurement at MSP.

It may be mentioned that before the onset of green revolution in the mid sixties, the marketing system was the same that is being introduced now. MSP was introduced to save the farmers from private traders. Maze is covered under MSP but without assured marketing, this is meaningless.

The religious domain too has turned volatile following the mishandling of the situation arising out of missing copies of Guru Granth Sahib. Action has been taken only against some employees. What is all the more serious is that the information is not being shared as to where these copies were sent.

It is as serious an issue as the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari in 2015 when Badal was the chief minister.

This scam happened despite the functioning of the SGPC having been corporatized under the direction of Sukhbir Singh Badal.

What has further provoked the Sikh organisations further is the decision of the SGPC authorities to close the file without tracing the missing copies. It was earlier decided to file FIR but later the move was reconsidered. This was done at the political level, it is learnt.

The target of attack is Sukhbir Singh Badal in this case too.

The Assembly elections in Punjab would be held in February 2022 but the agenda is already being set.

 The political cost of having a cabinet berth, it seems, has turned out to be on the higher side. The damage has already been done.