Power structure in Punjab shifts from dynasts to common man with Charanjit Singh Channi replacing Capt Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister

 

Historic shift as power structure in Punjab transits from Patiala Royals to House of Common

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

 

The power super structure in Punjab during the last almost quarter of a century has been alternating between the House of Badals and the Patiala Royals.

The state whose political dynamics ever since the Green Revolution has been dominated by the landed communities, witnesses qualitative transition from these two power centres to the House of Common with the replacement of Capt Amarinder Singh from the Patiala Royals to Charanjit Singh Channi, the commoner who has risen from the lowest depths of socio-political structure.

And he happens to be among the most educated chief ministers with two post-graduate degrees along with graduation in law.

At an emotional take over, while detailing the poverty that his family confronted, he assured that it was now the government of the amm aadmi, the commoner.

He promised to open the doors of the chief minister’s residence and the office in the civil secretariat to the common man.

It has to be seen in the context of these places being completely inaccessible to the common man especially since Capt Amarinder Singh took over and outsourced his government to lead his own life undisturbed. This trend had started from the time of his predecessor Parkash Singh Badal from his tenure beginning 2012. Even Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal used to avoid his office in the secretariat.

What is all the more important is that Channi has promised to deliver although he has just about 100 days to function before the Assembly election is announced and the imposition of the election code halts the government barring routine functioning.

It is test not only for Channi but also for the choices made by Rahul Gandhi who has made this first most crucial assertion relating to his party.

It is pertinent to mention that the Assembly results in Punjab Polls February 2022 has the potential to dictate the future of the Congress at the national level. Respectable number of seats, if not majority to retain the government, is basic to the revival of this degenerating party and hence challenge for the top leadership-the Gandhi family.

At the time when the Congress was going down almost every day in this border state due to non-functioning of the Chief Minister, the only option was to take a risk and replace the person in command  who happened to be the stalwart. For some unexplained reasons, he preferred not to function this time. The man who could have been an asset to Punjab with his rare qualities, slowly started turning into liability.

The signals as to what the future now unfolds for the Congress and Punjab would be available within the new few days.

Channi should be assessed in this context and not in the framework of Dalit or Jat politics. Dalits are not a monolithic vote bank. Bahujan samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram belonged to Punjab but this party failed to take roots in his home state despite the highest proportionl of Dalit polutaion at 32 per cent among all the states.

With his presence at the swearing in although he arrived a bit late, Rahul Gandhi has given clear signal that he fully backs his choice. This signal was needed to remove every party obstacle in Channi’s way.

People in Punjab want the state government to deliver, be it Bargari sacrilege case or the Mafia Raj-sand, liquor and transport.

With the time being too short, what is all the more important is to make accelerated beginning to end the perception of the Congress government being in cahoots with the House of Badals.

Delivery and accessibility would be the key under the changed situation.

This development has also put a stop to politics of dynasty and entitlement with a common man taking over as the commander. One of his post-graduate degrees is in management. He has the opportunity to use this skill to the fullest as the Chief Minister.

At the same time, it must be kept in mind that the struggle for survival by the farmers would to a large extent dictate the power struggle among the three main competing forces.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal ‘sacrificed’ his ministerial post against three farm laws under pressure of the struggle and Channi has offered has now gone to the extreme by offering to sacrifice even his head.

And he invoked humanism of the Sikh thought at the time of take over. Sikhism is classless society, though the Sikhs have turned casteist.

Important is his assertiveness to deliver.