G R O U N D   Z E R O

Jibe for jibe, Amritsar remained a golden fight
Raj Chengappa

Three days from now the 1.95 crore voters in Punjab will exercise their options for the 13 Lok Sabha seats that are being contested in the state. If national attention remained focus right through the campaigning process it was because the Congress party, in a move that surprised the ruling SAD-BJP combine in the state, decided to field its stalwarts, including the redoubtable former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

With his characteristic candour Captain Amarinder said that he was standing for the elections because Congress President Sonia Gandhi had asked him to contest the Amritsar seat for which the BJP has fielded its erudite national leader, Arun Jaitley. As he put it, "Sonia told me that the party needs me to fight and said it so nicely that I just couldn’t say no or ignore the orders of my President." With the captain in the fray, Jaitley suddenly found that he had a formidable rival to contend with and the battle between the two has been the most avidly watched tussle.

In separate interactive sessions with The Tribune recently, during which first Jaitley and then Captain Amarinder outlined their priorities, one got a glimpse of just how accomplished some of India’s politicians are. With so many scams being exposed, the credibility of Indian politicians is low, especially among the middle class. But to hear both of them put forward their narratives and defend their track record was an elevating experience and restored one’s faith in the political process.

Jaitley was mostly cerebral as he laid forth the arguments but was smart enough to deflect the ‘outsider’ tag that dogged him by pointing out that he had an emotional bond with the city as his mother hailed from Amritsar and he considered it as his ancestral town. Though he had never contested from Amritsar, like a good lawyer Jaitley had studied his brief well and was in full command of the constituency’s issues and had solutions for each of them. Aware that he would hold an important portfolio if the NDA is voted to power, Jaitley’s argument to the voters was, "I want to make a difference. You require a person of stature who can influence decision-making to bring about that difference." It was only when Jaitley was asked about Captain Amarinder that his tone changed to that of a street-fighter and he said, "He represents conventional politics at its worst."

The Captain in his session though came across as a consummate politician who displayed the much coveted ability of instant voter-connect. For the most part he spoke from the heart and was disarmingly candid. He was well-versed with the problems the constituency faced. He waved the blueprint for development of the city that he had prepared when he was Chief Minister and claimed that the SAD government had not bothered to implement it. He never lost an opportunity to hammer at the perceptible anti-incumbency the state government faces. On why Amritsar should vote for him, the veteran of many political battles said that they "will see who can be a better son of the soil and who has more experience in the state. I know the state more than Jaitley does."

Such has been the keenness of the competition between the two that who will win it has become more important than the outcome of the rest of the seats in the state. The stakes are certainly high. If Captain Amarinder wins, his political fortunes would be revived and he would emerge once again as the most important Congress leader in the state and put the ruling SAD on the back foot. For Jaitley, a victory would propel him to a position of great power if the NDA forms the government, with talk of him being anointed as deputy prime minister.

As of last week, the battle seemed evenly poised and the streets of Amritsar were abuzz as to which side the scales would tilt finally. Jaitley had a compelling argument: UPA was given a chance to rule at the Centre for 10 years but it faltered, the nation needs a decisive government to lead it through the current economic crisis, why not give the BJP led by Narendra Modi a chance to do so. On the other hand, the Captain had both charisma and empathy when he emphasised that he was an "insider" who knew both the constituency and the state well, that the ruling SAD government had become effete and needed to be changed, so vote for someone who would serve the state better.

The voters of Amritsar have been gifted with an excellent choice. As the saying goes, let the best man win.

raj@tribuneindia.com