Farmers in Punjab Reaping What They Sowed
In less than a couple of months, farmers in Punjab will be reaping the harvest of what they sowed some time ago. In this season of plentiful rain and balmy sunshine, their returns appear certain. After the Central government revoked the three controversial farm laws, their much-cherished mandis are likely to be agog with activity.
After spending more than a year protesting outside railway stations, malls, mandis and public squares in Punjab, before moving to the borders of Delhi, the farmers look poised to reap the fruits of their grit, sweat, and tears. However, the fate of those seeking to rule over them is not so certain, with major parties in the fray for the upcoming Assembly election grappling with what State Education Minister Pargat Singh called “public display of internal democracy”.
Internal Dissension in Major Parties
Whether it is the strife-ridden Indian National Congress or its principal opponents, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), all the significant contenders are facing internal dissent, besides the usual wrangling over ticket distribution. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party at the Centre and the fourth pole of Punjab’s political and electoral structure, does not face internal dissension on the same scale as the other parties, but it suffers from a colossal lack of popular appeal.
Success in Managing Internal Fights
As things stood in the first week of February, with barely 10 days left for polling, the degree of success in managing internal fights and the politics outside was increasingly becoming the key factor that would decide the fate of the two main contenders: the Congress and the AAP. The party that is able to assuage hurt egos, rally around the most disgruntled and ambitious legislators and limit the damage caused by infighting may just be the one smiling on March 10, when the results of the 117 Assembly seats will be declared.
But in a State that has had two Congress Chief Ministers within the same Assembly term and seen the defection of 10 AAP legislators, and where the SAD has two factions, that is a tall order.
Defections Galore
Continuing the tradition of political defections, Jagmohan Singh Kang, a noted Congress leader and former Punjab Minister, joined the AAP in the first week of February along with his sons Yadvinder Singh Kang and Amarinder Singh Kang. A little time before that, Sukhbir Singh Badal, president of the SAD, welcomed Sandeep Singh Brar, erstwhile officer on special duty (OSD) to former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, into his party.