Testing time for Bhagwant Mann as Assembly mandates him to counter challenges posed by Modi government on historical issues
Test for
Bhagwant Mann after Assembly mandate to prove he means business on Punjab
issues
Ground Zero
Jagtar Singh
Punjab Chief
Minister Bhagwant Mann, whose party has debut in this politically volatile
border state after emerging as the main opposition in 2017, might have realised
that the challenges are posed to those in power from altogether different
domain and not from schools, colleges and hospitals on which its campaign had
been centred.
After the
party was backed by the people with unprecedented mandate to provide better
governance, the non-BJP parties in the Assembly today stood like a rock behind
him while expressing unreserved confidence in him to take up the commanding
role associated with his office to protect the interests of this state that
constitute historical baggage.
The one-day
special session of the Assembly today adopted the resolution amidst walk out by
the Bharatiya Janata Party that called
upon the state government to take up
with the Centre the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab at the earliest.
This session
had been convened on this one-point agenda only apparently to convey to the
Modi government that the new AAP government in this state means business. The
provocation for this resolution was the implementation of the service rules for
the central government employees to the Chandigarh employees.
However,
this is not just implementation of the central service rules.
The union
territory status of Chandigarh was to be a temporary arrangement till Haryana
moved out. Punjab has witnessed several agitations on this issue since 1966 but
the status quo continues. The new arrangement virtually changes the very
character of the city to a permanent union territory and thus Punjab would end
up as the only state in the country without its own capital city despite the
fact that Chandigarh was planned as its capital after having been divested of Lahore
that became part of Pakistan.
Chandigarh
was built after uprooting Punjabi speaking people and mainly the people from
Punjab built their houses here. However, the migrant construction labour
changed its demographic character in 1961 census. This is at the root of this
problem. That is now history but the issue is that of the roots of this
problem.
From the
city of bureaucrats, Chandigarh has now development as a corporate service
city.
Two issues
that have been the most politicised since 1966 are Chandigarh and the river
waters dispute between Punjab and Haryana. The farmers in the two states have
now understood as to how the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal issue has been exploited
by the political interests while the reality is different.
The problem
is that such issues continue to be politicised. There was no need to disturb
the arrangement in Bhakra Beas
Management Board.
Not that
such a situation has arisen for the first time or that the Punjab Assembly has
adopted such a resolution for the first time.
At one
level, this has become a ritual. Of course, Assembly backed action has been
taken twice earlier in case of the SYL Canal.
It is
pertinent to mention that even during the agrarian struggle, the Punjab
Assembly had authorised Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to lead an all-party
delegation to the prime minister. However, he never took the initiative. But
then the Congress and the Akali Dal have been punished by the people for their
misdeeds.
Delhi and
Punjab used to be in confrontation repeatedly after 1947 and that situation
continues to erupt time and again.
Punjab used
to be ruled either by the Congress or the Akali Dal and Akali Dal too used to
be part of the government at the centre beginning 1977.
However, the
issues rooted in the re-organisation of Punjab in 1966 have turned into
historical baggage and are now part of Punjab’s permanent faultlines.
These
faultlines have the tendency to erupt from time to time.
Bhagwant
Singh Mann today made the assertion that “We know how to govern”.
It is time
that he now comes out with a new approach to deal with the faultlines.
What was
lacking earlier was commitment and dedication.
The massive
mandate that AAP received in February 2022 has many lessons to learn and shape
the political discourse accordingly.
Today’s
Assembly mandate is the first test for Mann.
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