Malwa: AAP, SAD eye gains amid Cong turmoil

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 9

Whoever wins the ‘Panthic Malwa belt’ forms the government in Punjab, that’s the general belief. The visible ground support in 2017 had given the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reasons to dream of pulling off an improbable victory. The party, however, had to satisfy itself with only 18 seats of the total 69 in the region and only two more elsewhere in the state. But that was enough to go ahead of the SAD-BJP, which won just eight seats. The Congress won 40 seats in Malwa alone.

Going into the 2022 polls, anti-incumbency, high power prices, unfulfilled poll promises, farmers’ struggle at Delhi borders and rampant corruption are issues staring the ruling Congress in the face. The “mishandling” of the probe into the 2015 sacrilege incidents has dented the party’s image and the SAD and AAP are both eyeing gains.

Protests by teachers, farmers, power corporation employees, forest department and water-sanitation staff have become a regular occurrence in front of the residences of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in Patiala, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal in Bathinda and Education and PWD Minister Vijay Singla in Sangrur.

Malwa has taken a particular note of the recent outburst of Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, since he was the first senior party leader to publicly criticise the Chief Minister after the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the probe reports submitted by the state government’s special investigation team (SIT) into a police firing case in Kotkapura town in Malwa more than five years ago.

The case dates back to October 14, 2015, during the SAD-BJP regime, when the state police opened fire at a crowd in Bargari village which had been protesting against incidents of sacrilege. Since June 1 that year, pages of copies of the Guru Granth Sahib that had been ripped off were found in different parts of the state. On October 12, when the same thing happened at Bargari, the villagers protested. By October 14, the protest had grown so huge that the police opened fire, resulting in the death of two persons.

“This is an emotive issue and has exposed both the SAD and the Congress. People will vote against them. We are already getting feedback from the Malwa belt that people are still hurt,” says SAD (Democratic) president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, 84, who had recently announced to launch a new political party — SAD (Sanyukt) — along with another former Akali leader, Ranjit Singh Brahmpura.

SAD president Sukhbir Badal, however, says it is his party alone that represents the Panthic ideology and Sikh beliefs. “We were hurt when the incidents took place but the Congress and AAP in cahoots with their affiliated groups created an atmosphere of unrest and demanded a CBI probe. Now even the Congress-ordered probe for over four years has found nothing,” says Sukhbir. “The key issues are high-priced power and its shortage, besides unemployment and shortage of funds for the rural Malwa belt. We will take all this to the people and let them decide if they still want to vote for the Congress.”

The Congress remains a divided house in Bathinda, where Amrinder Raja Warring and Finance Minister Manpreet Badal have usually been on opposite ends. Allegations have been levelled by local SAD leaders and a few Congressmen pertaining to ‘goonda tax’ collection near the Guru Gobind Singh refinery at the behest of Manpreet’s brother-in-law Jaijeet Singh Johal, who terms the charges baseless, saying he is a soft target. “Barring one leader, no one from the Congress has made a statement against us. Outside the constituency, it does not matter if anyone says anything,” he says.

Villagers in Bathinda, Muktsar, Abohar, Fazilka, Mansa, Sangrur feel sidelined and recall the time when the Akalis ensured ample funds and development. “Roads are in a bad shape, villages

are getting limited funds and power cuts are back,” says a political analyst, who has covered the Malwa belt for over three decades.

“I agree that the sacrilege, Bargari and rising power price issues have harmed our party, not only in Malwa but across Punjab. Our party is going through an inner turmoil due to this, but I am sure we will do justice with the probe and the guilty will face the music,” says Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, who is from the Malwa belt. “Another important factor in Malwa politics will be that of the agitation over agricultural laws, if the farmers decide to contest some seats. But I sincerely feel that the villages in Punjab in the past four years have seen major development,” Jakhar adds.

AAP, meanwhile, is doing its best to find popular faces and attract youngsters, who are already questioning the Congress over jobs and other unfulfilled promises.

“People have seen prominent faces like Sukhbir or Amarinder and what they have done to the state. We need a CM who is available for the state round the clock and AAP is committed to that. We believe in good governance and a ‘goonda-free’ government,” says Leader of Opposition Harpal Cheema.