Why BJP should reassure Punjab & why I quit: Jakhar

The Congress and AAP governments have made a mockery of Punjab, but the BJP cannot let the state go to the dogs, former state BJP president Sunil Jakhar has said in an exclusive interview with The Tribune.

Jakhar, who quit the BJP’s top position some days ago, said there were a lot of misperceptions that the party was battling, including on the absorption of Sikhism by Hinduism, “which PM Modi has made clear that it won’t happen”.

He said he had resigned as the party chief because he felt morally responsible for the its failure to win any seats during the Lok Sabha elections, despite a vote share of 18.3 per cent, but insisted that he would never rejoin his old party, the Congress, which he had served for 50 years.

“Rahul Gandhi has no control over the party because it has multiple factions,” Jakhar said, going on to ask, plaintively, “Which Congress should I join?”

He said several state party leaders like Charanjit Channi and Ambika Soni had created deep fissures and that he had felt deeply hurt when he was told he could not serve as chief minister because he was a Hindu and was subsequently peremptorily removed from the party.

“After 50 years, if the high command cannot even talk to me on the telephone, at least ask me what is happening?” Jakhar said. He said he joined the BJP shortly after, aiming to protect Punjab from identity politics. He acknowledged he had not fully succeeded.

He admitted the BJP may not have fully understood Punjab. He underlined the importance of understanding Punjab’s unique psyche and communicating effectively with its people. “Punjabis think differently... We have our own identity,” he added.

Regarding the paddy procurement crisis, he attributed the issue to the delayed milling policy announcement by the state government, which usually takes a month to implement. He noted that the policy was declared on September 4, leaving insufficient time for preparation.

Jakhar emphasised the lack of coordination between the BJP-led central government and the AAP-led state government, citing the absence of communication and cooperation. He suggested that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann may want to work closely with the BJP but is constrained by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s confrontational approach.