Social boycott of BJP’s Punjab leaders: Is there more than meets the eye

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 11

Ever since the agitating Punjab’ farmers arrived on the Delhi borders, two names —Harjit Singh Grewal and Surjit Kumar Jyani—are on the forefront, whether it is tackling ‘jathebandis’/unions with phrases or serving as eyes and ears of the top BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

While the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the joint  platform of protesting unions, issued a statement on Sunday demanding their social boycott for their utterances against some of the union leaders, it seems a section of the Punjab BJP leadership is also becoming “increasingly jittery” over Grewal and Jyani “hogging all limelight, attention and prominence” in the ongoing imbroglio.

While insecurity and jealousy are natural human instincts, including in politics, their supporters say the two leaders were “handpicked” by the central leadership “as those expected to handle the situation did not do the job”.

After farmers reached Delhi borders and it became evident the Narendra Modi government “underestimated” the Punjab’ agitation and farmers’ determination, the situation was also seen as “failure” of those entrusted with the responsibility to “contain the situation right within Punjab and giving correct feedback” to the Centre, say observers. Jyani and Grewal were both part of the initial eight-member committee constituted by the Punjab BJP around September to talk to farmers on benefits of the three farms laws.

On Sunday, farmer unions’ accused Garewal and Jyani of “crossing all limits and claiming to divide the farm unions” and appealed to people to “socially boycott them and oppose their entry to Punjab. In their last meeting with central ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goyal and Som Prakash, unions had expressed anguish over the two giving them “gaalis” (abuses). But as some also point, Grewal and Jyani could not be “saying and acting the way they are without “blessings and backing” of the central leadership.