Punjab’s real concerns are jobs, drugs and growth, not imported narratives of communal division.
“BJP leaders ask Punjabis for an AAP-type chance to govern. The BJP has been part of Punjab’s inglorious political history. Its leaders had tasted power along with the Akalis. The rise of gangsters and drug peddlers happened on their watch. Seldom did they raise their voice against the political patronage of these elements. They were happy participants in misgovernance, enjoying the fruits of power. The issues of drugs and corruption that vocal BJP leaders raise today did not matter then.”
The import of select turbaned leaders alone will not help the BJP. It needs to win over the mindset of the rural masses.
After the controversial West Bengal win, the BJP crowd gathered at the party office in Chandigarh on May 5 for celebrations. The slogan raised on this occasion, and which also echoed in Delhi BJP circles was: “Bengal ki jeet hamari hai, ab Punjab ki baari hai.” The loud drumbeat of jubilation was justifiable since the BJP had grabbed quite a historic mandate, even if tainted.
Now that emotions have cooled, it is the right time for wise heads in the party to have a rational assessment of the ugly politics played in West Bengal. Do they seriously believe that the party can manufacture a similar situation of hatred and violence in Punjab and Punjabis will let them do it?
Do they really intend to turn Punjab into a pre- and post-poll Bengal? Do Punjab leaders in the BJP intend to stoop to conquer? Fortunately, they don’t have Suvendu Adhikari-type shady credentials. Seeking power is a legitimate aspiration. Should it be achieved through whatever it takes? Being border states, both require deft handling. Any misplaced spark can turn into a conflagration.
West Bengal and Punjab both have much in common. Bengalis and Punjabis were on the forefront of the freedom struggle, displaying uncommon courage and making supreme sacrifices. Both paid a heavy price during the Partition. Surmounting tremendous odds, they rebuilt their lives and thrived. They are also unafraid of making political experiments.
After what happened in Bihar and West Bengal, the start of the SIR exercise has stoked anxieties in Punjab. An all-party meeting called by the Chief Electoral Officer raised issues such as duplicate votes and voter deletions. Political opponents of the BJP are keeping a hawk’s eye on any possible attempts at rigging and replication of the Bengal model.
BJP leaders ask Punjabis for an AAP-type chance to govern. The BJP has been part of Punjab’s inglorious political history. Its leaders had tasted power along with the Akalis. The rise of gangsters and drug peddlers happened on their watch. Seldom did they raise their voice against the political patronage of these elements.
They were happy participants in misgovernance, enjoying the fruits of power. The issues of drugs and corruption that vocal BJP leaders raise today did not matter then.
The present lot of political imports from the Congress and AAP hardly inspires confidence. They have no agenda other than gaining power, that too through the muscular politics of their bosses in Delhi. The strong leadership they present as the panacea for Punjab’s ills has not been able to control drugs from crossing the international borders or trafficking within the BJP-ruled states. Gujarat has earned nationwide notoriety with massive quantities of drug seizures.
At the Chandigarh jamboree, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar argued that if the BJP could grow from three seats to a two-thirds majority in a TMC bastion, then it was much easier to script a similar success story in Punjab. Currently, the BJP has two Assembly seats and its pockets of influence are confined to the Pathankot and Hoshiarpur areas. Punjab is not a fertile land for defectors, hate-peddlers and the communal-minded.
Extending the Hindutva following to other cities is a Herculean task. Even during the best of times, in alliance with the ruling Akali Dal, a towering BJP leader like Arun Jaitley could not win the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat. Its subsequent Sikh faces fielded in Amritsar, like Hardeep Puri and Taranjit Singh Sandhu, too tasted defeat.
Now the party hopes for a landslide win in 2027 without Akali Dal support. History tells us that only the ideology believers vote for the BJP. On governance, the party’s score is dismal.
One of the known BJP election-winning underhand strategies is to create a sense of fear and insecurity and create problems for an Opposition-ruled state by doing whatever is required. There are two narratives about the series of harmless bomb explosions in the state in the recent past. Only the one at a rail track claimed a life.
One narrative attributes these to the ISI agents. It is amusing that the once powerful intelligence agency of the neighboring country that had once played a dreadful role in terrorist violence in Punjab cannot ensure a proper blast now.
The one outside the BSF headquarters in Jalandhar and another near an Army cantonment, it seems, were not intended to cause damage or any loss of life but just to spread fear. Far from getting scared, villagers in my part of Amritsar joke about such friendly blasts.
The second narrative advocated by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP leader Sanjay Singh holds the BJP responsible for its desperate attempts to disturb the peace in the border state. This is a serious charge. Either they should substantiate the allegation by making evidence, if any, public or withdraw it. They cannot be allowed to get away after hurling wild allegations.
Mischief-makers frequently try to arouse Sikh sentiments by resorting to acts of sacrilege.
The strong anti-beadbi law is meant to stop such incidents. However, the Sukhbir Badal-run SGPC and top priests first welcomed it, and on second thoughts, started opposing it. The government should realize that more than the law, it is the low conviction rate that requires its attention.
Sikhs and Hindus are unlikely to fall easy prey to designs aimed at religious divisions. If the BJP really wants to spread its footprints in Punjab, there are issues it can take up on priority.
Punjab’s growth rate has been stagnant and may decline after the recent oil price hike. The Centre can offer a package or tax holiday for industry. Secondly, it can give a boost to the economy by opening up the Attari-Wagah border for trade and tourism.
Thirdly, the Centre has to stop attempts to snatch the control of BBMB and Panjab University from Punjab, replace Punjabi with Hindi and ensure Punjab’s fair share in the river waters. Finally, it can weaponize the Sikh grievance by giving farmers their due and releasing detainees who have completed their jail terms.
The import of select turbaned leaders alone will not help the BJP. It needs to win over the mindset of the rural masses.
(Nirmal Sandhu is a senior journalist)
(Source : Tribune, India)
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