It is the perfect time to shoot an article where Punjab polity is burning with both left-wing and right-wing issues. The left-wing issue being the crisis situation being faced by the farmers of the Malwa region after the white-fly attack on the cotton crop which has resulted in the destruction of the crop spread over lakhs of acres of farms. And the right-wing issue being the "Pardon row" of the Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the case of his impersonation like the revered Guru Gobind Singh ji in 2007. Though both these issues have gained tremendous mileage in the political space but at the ground level the farmer issue is gaining more ground and economics definitely is overpowering religion as far as local politics is concerned.
Though the incumbent Jathedars of Takhts and the SGPC office-bearers are trying their best to project that it was a unanimous decision of the entire community, there are many radical sikh outfits who have openly shown their resentment towards this decision following which they announced "Sarbat Khalsa" to be held this Diwali and called for a state-wide "Bandh" on 30 Sept 2015. The "Bandh" got a lukewarm response as majority of the establishments remained open on the day which indicates that the government machinery i.e. the police and the paramilitary forces will be used to the fullest extent to curb the "Sarbat Khalsa" event to be held this Diwali and it will be reduced to a ceremonial event without having much substantial value and the resolutions passed may not much effect the political landscape of the sikh-community in Punjab.
On the other hand, the farmers are on a spree for demanding the compensation for the losses they've incurred out of the white-fly attack. Majority of them are demanding as much as 40,000- 80,000 INR per acre for the same and are not ready to settle for anything less. They're holding Dharnas, blocking highways and rail tracks and shooing away many politicians from the venues of their agitations. They simply want monetary compensation for their losses and not promises. They've even roughed up many intellectuals like the Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University who tried to address their issues. They are deeply enraged by the government moves as some of them have got cheques amounting to 150 - 200 INR against their humongous demand of 40,000 INR per acre. This has made them feel more humiliated and they are intensifying their protests further.
Also from a broader perspective there are many strong opinions floating for the current trend of personality politics in India. Buzz is that in this era where personality politics has acquired center-stage across the country, Punjab is likely to witness a Captain-wave in 2017 Assembly elections just like India witnessed Modi-wave in 2014 Parliamentary elections.
On one hand Modi enjoys being the undisputed or unprecedented show-stopper of Indian politics where he asserts the power of the office he is holding over the states and woos the crowd with his charisma. This trend was best visible in Bihar when he made a visit to Bihar prior to the assembly elections and announced a package of 1.25 lakh crore INR for the state. This has dramatically improved BJP's (or NDA's) chances in sweeping away the Bihar assembly. A similar package for Punjab which is already crying foul for money could bring back SAD-BJP alliance back in power with a bigger share of BJP this time. I believe only one man stands between SAD-BJP and their victory in 2017 Assembly elections and that is Captain Amrinder Singh, the former CM of Punjab who is equipped with the acumen to address both the left-wing and the right-wing issues of the state. Even if AAP promises corruption-free environment and good governance in the state, it cannot give what Punjab instantly needs i..e. Money in the form of relief packages, which only Modi can provide having control over the funds of the central government.
Now this is where serious Blogging and political analysis begins as the 2017 polls approach nearer.
Though the incumbent Jathedars of Takhts and the SGPC office-bearers are trying their best to project that it was a unanimous decision of the entire community, there are many radical sikh outfits who have openly shown their resentment towards this decision following which they announced "Sarbat Khalsa" to be held this Diwali and called for a state-wide "Bandh" on 30 Sept 2015. The "Bandh" got a lukewarm response as majority of the establishments remained open on the day which indicates that the government machinery i.e. the police and the paramilitary forces will be used to the fullest extent to curb the "Sarbat Khalsa" event to be held this Diwali and it will be reduced to a ceremonial event without having much substantial value and the resolutions passed may not much effect the political landscape of the sikh-community in Punjab.
On the other hand, the farmers are on a spree for demanding the compensation for the losses they've incurred out of the white-fly attack. Majority of them are demanding as much as 40,000- 80,000 INR per acre for the same and are not ready to settle for anything less. They're holding Dharnas, blocking highways and rail tracks and shooing away many politicians from the venues of their agitations. They simply want monetary compensation for their losses and not promises. They've even roughed up many intellectuals like the Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University who tried to address their issues. They are deeply enraged by the government moves as some of them have got cheques amounting to 150 - 200 INR against their humongous demand of 40,000 INR per acre. This has made them feel more humiliated and they are intensifying their protests further.
Also from a broader perspective there are many strong opinions floating for the current trend of personality politics in India. Buzz is that in this era where personality politics has acquired center-stage across the country, Punjab is likely to witness a Captain-wave in 2017 Assembly elections just like India witnessed Modi-wave in 2014 Parliamentary elections.
On one hand Modi enjoys being the undisputed or unprecedented show-stopper of Indian politics where he asserts the power of the office he is holding over the states and woos the crowd with his charisma. This trend was best visible in Bihar when he made a visit to Bihar prior to the assembly elections and announced a package of 1.25 lakh crore INR for the state. This has dramatically improved BJP's (or NDA's) chances in sweeping away the Bihar assembly. A similar package for Punjab which is already crying foul for money could bring back SAD-BJP alliance back in power with a bigger share of BJP this time. I believe only one man stands between SAD-BJP and their victory in 2017 Assembly elections and that is Captain Amrinder Singh, the former CM of Punjab who is equipped with the acumen to address both the left-wing and the right-wing issues of the state. Even if AAP promises corruption-free environment and good governance in the state, it cannot give what Punjab instantly needs i..e. Money in the form of relief packages, which only Modi can provide having control over the funds of the central government.
Now this is where serious Blogging and political analysis begins as the 2017 polls approach nearer.
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