Kejriwal has to confront Aam Aadmi Charanjit Singh Channi on Punjab turf too but AAP lacks necessary drive

 

Lacking insight into its psyche, AAP failing to capture vacant space in Punjab’s political domain

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singha

 

People in Punjab aspire for change.

They feel cheated both by the ruling Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal.

Both these parties have ruled in Punjab since 1966.

The problem has become all the more acute during the last about a decade as the state and the people confront problems that concern their very survival.

Fed up with uninterrupted 10-year rule of the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance government headed by Parkash Singh Badal, the people gave unprecedented  massive mandate to the Congress in 2017 for change. Capt amarinder Singh, who took over as the chief minister heading the government was forced to exit unceremoniously months before his term was to end. He had failed the people by way of his style of non-governance. What puzzles the people is as to what kept him busy at his farm house palace that was built after he took over as the chief minister.

He has been replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi who perhaps was not expecting this huge responsibility and he is now working hard to change the narrative but within limitations. He has to contend with what can be termed as ‘issue based’ opposition from his party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

A major space in Punjab’s political matrix is thus vacant.

The farmers struggle that is again unprecedented has added to the complexities of the political dynamics.

As in pre-2017 period, the Aam Aadmi Party has been  eyeing this space again this time and party’s chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been visiting Punjab frequently of late. He started by announcing 300 units of free power. All three main parties are competing in offering freebies now.

The issue in this border state is not the freebies alone.

The political dynamics of Punjab is different from all other states in the country and Kejriwal seems to be failing to recognise this major dimension. The two regions in the country where the national minorities dominate are Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. After Jammu and Kashmir was reduced to a union territory, the only state having this distinction now is Punjab.

Kejriwal represents the Aam Aadmi but during his latest 2-day visit that he confined to Mansa and Bathinda districts, he avoided not only the Aam Aadmi  but also the media. He addressed selective audience at close door meetings.

He had one brief interaction with the farmers leaders too but refused to answer their questions saying these were political issues. But then that exactly is Punjab.

The questions related to his party stand on federalism in the context of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the CAA that AAP had supported.

Federalism has been the concern in Punjab over the decades  beginning with 1952 election that the Shiromani Akali Dal contested on this very issue.

The three farm laws against which the farmers are fighting are encroachment on the rights of the states and in violation of the federal principles. Agriculture is a state subject. It is Punjab from where struggle against these three laws was triggered. The farmers from many of the states have now joined their associates who have been sitting on the borders of Delhi since November, 2020. The world is witnessing the longest every peaceful mass struggle on the issue that concerns the very survival of not only farmers but availability of cheap food to the people at large. The corporate control of this sector that these three laws intend too would hit the common consumers hard.

Not only that AAP has failed to come to grips with the ground situation in Punjab, the party has failed to have an effective leader. Kejriwal a few weeks back announced that he would present a new Sikh leader to the people but so far has failed to do so.

AAP again seems to be missing the opportunity.

The people of Punjab had elevated this party to the status of main opposition in the Assembly pushing down the Akali Dal-BJP combine to the third position in 2017. However, AAP collapsed due to its own contradictions and failed to perform.

Kejriwal failed to spark hope during his latest visit despite the fact that the people continue to look for change.

He has to understand psyche of the people of Punjab. His party can’t function as a softer version of the BJP and perform in Punjab. That imagination might work in Uttar Pradesh.

Punjab needs people whose imagination is rooted in Punjab’s psyche and can generate hope rather than showing hollow dreams. Punjab has the California Dream experience.

Moreover, Kejriwal has now a competitor in Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in Aam Aadmi domain.

Capt Amarinder Singh today tweeted his clean break with the Congress and reiterated his decision to go ahead with floating a new party. But then he has his own betrayal with the people who had given him unprecedented mandate in 2017.

There are both hope and scope in Punjab.