Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part XIII (Concluding video)

I want to conclude the series of this article with this video. Kindly watch:

Being Yourself

I decided to shoot a video for this topic.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017- Part XII (Implications of Sarbat Khalsa 2015)

I felt a bit upset when I found myself in a position of inability to attend one of the most important politico-religious events near my city. Thanks to internet that I registered my presence online and heard all the 13 resolutions passed loud and clear which are as follows:

ਅਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਨਜ਼ਦੀਕ ਪਿੰਡ ਚੱਬਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਰਬੱਤ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਗਿਣਤੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਕਤਰ ਹੋਈ ਸੰਗਤ ਦੀ ਹਾਜ਼ਰੀ ਵਿੱਚ 13 ਮਤੇ ਪਾਸ ਕੀਤੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ:
1-ਮੌਜੂਦਾ ਤਖਤਾਂ ਦੇ ਪੰਜਾਂ ਤਖਤਾਂ ਦੇ ਜਥੇਦਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਂਭੇ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(Four out of Five current Jathedars be removed.)

2-ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਦੇ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਜਗਤਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਹਵਾਰਾ ਨੂੰ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਰਜਕਾਰੀ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਧਿਆਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੰਡ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਅਮਰੀਕ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਜਨਾਲਾ ਤਖਤ ਕੇਸਗੜ੍ਹ ਅਤੇ ਬਲਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਦਾਦੂਦਾਲ ਨੂੰ ਦਮਦਮਾ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦਾ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਲਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(Jagtar Singh Hawara be apointed as Jathedar of Akal Takht and in his absence Dhian Singh Mand to be appointed the acting Jathedar. Amrik Singh Ajnala and Baljit Singh Daduwaal be appointed the jathedars of Kesgarh Sahib and Damdama Sahib.)

3-ਕੇ ਪੀ ਐਸ ਗਿੱਲ ਅਤੇ ਕੇ ਐਸ ਬਰਾੜ ਨੂੰ ਤਨਖਾਹੀਆ ਕਰਾਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਨਵੰਬਰ 20 ਤੱਕ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਤੇ ਪੇਸ਼ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਸਪਸ਼ਟੀਕਰਨ ਮੰਗਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(KPS Gill and KS Brar be declared "tankhaiyas" and must plead their clarification before Akal Takht before 20 Nov 2015)

4-ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੀ ਸਰਵਉਚਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂਸਤਾ ਨੂੰ ਬਣਾਈ ਰੱਖਣ ਲਈ ਦੇਸ਼ ਵਿਦੇਸ਼ ਦੇ ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਰਾਇ ਨਾਲ ਗੰਭੀਰ ਯਤਨ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਣ।
(Sikh diaspora must make sincere efforts to maintain the supremacy and sovereignty of Akal Takht Sahib. )

5-ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ ਤੋਂ ਤੋਂ ਫਖਰੇ ਕੌਮ, ਪੰਥ ਰਤਨ ਵਾਪਿਸ ਲਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਅਵਤਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੱਕੜ ਤੋਂ ਸ਼ਰੋਮਣੀ ਸੇਵਕ ਦਾ ਐਵਾਰਡ ਵਾਪਿਸ ਲਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(CM Parkash Singh Badal be scrapped of "Panth Rattan" and Avtar Singh Makkar be scrapped of "Shiromani Sewak" decorations.)

6-ਵਰਲਡ ਸਿੱਖ ਪਾਰਲੀਮੈਂਟ ਦਾ ਗਠਨ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਇਸ ਲਈ 30 ਨਵੰਬਰ ਤੱਕ ਖਰੜੇ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਸਾਂਝੀ ਕਮੇਟੀ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ।
(Global Sikh Parliament be formed and a committee to make for its arrangements be announced before 30 Nov 2015.)

7-ਸਮੂਹ ਸਗਤਾਂ, ਗੰ੍ਰਥੀ ਸਿੰਘਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਕਮੇਟੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੀ ਬੇਅਦਬੀ ਲਈ ਸੁਚੇਤ ਰਹਿਣ ਦਾ ਸੱਦਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਬੇਅਦਬੀ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਿਖੀ ਰਵਾਇਤਾਂ ਮੁਤਾਬਿਕ ਸਜ਼ਾਵਾਂ ਦੇਣ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(All the sikh diaspora be cautious about the sacrilege incidents of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and traitors be punished as per sikh tenants.)

8-ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਤਾਕੀਦ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਸਜ਼ਾ ਪੂਰੀ ਕਰ ਚੁੱਕੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਕੈਦੀ ਜੇਲ੍ਹਾਂ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਰਿਹਾਅ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਣ, ਸੂਰਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਦਾ ਜੇਕਰ ਕੋਈ ਨੁਕਸਾਨ ਹੋਇਆ ਤਾਂ ਇਸ ਦੇ ਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰੀ ਸਰਕਾਰਾਂ ਦੀ ਹੋਵੇਗੀ |
(Government be directed to release all sikh political prisoners and government will be responsible for the consequences in case of any harm to Surat Singh Khalsa.)

9-ਸ਼ਰੋਮਣੀ ਗੁਰਦਵਾਰਾ ਕਮੇਟੀ ਦੀ ਨਵੀਂ ਚੋਣ ਕਰਵਾਕੇ ਜਮਹੂਰੀਅਤ ਬਹਾਲ ਕਰਵਾਓਣ ਦਾ ਸੱ ਦਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(SGPC's re-election must be done in order to restore its democratic charater.)

10-ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੱਖਰੇ ਸਰਵ ਪ੍ਰਵਾਨਿਤ ਕੈਲੰਡਰ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਹੈ।
(Sikhs need their own calendar.)

11-ਹਰਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਨੂੰ ਵੈਟੀਕਨ ਸਿਟੀ ਦਾ ਦਰਜਾ ਮਿਲੇ ਅਤੇ ਦਰਬਾਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਸਮੂਹ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਮੁਲਕ ਦਾ ਕਾਨੂੰਨ ਲਾਗੂ ਨਾ ਹੋਵੇ।
(Vatican like status for Golden Temple Complex and no law of any country be applicable therein.)

12-ਇੱਕਠ 26 ਜਨਵਰੀ 1986 ਨੂੰ ਹੋਏ ਸਰਬਤ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਦੇ ਮਤਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਹਿਮਤੀ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ।
(Standing by all the resolutions passed in Sarbat Khalsa 1986)

13-ਜਾਤਾਂ ਤੇ ਅਧਾਰਿਤ ਗੁਰਦਵਾਰੇ ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਮਸ਼ਾਨਘਾਟ ਖਤਮ ਕਰਨ ਦੇ ਯਤਨ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਣ |
(Attempts be made to eliminate caste-based Gurudwaras and crematoriums.)

For more details visit: www.sarbatkhalsa2015.org

Though "Sarbat Khalsa" was held away from Golden Temple complex but it got a massive response. Even the mainstream media admits that the congregation crossed one lakh mark but as per social media sources the gathering was above 3 lakh people despite strong resistance from the administration.

Now coming to the resolutions I can bet that around 7-8 resolutions are so well thought-out and balanced that no intellectual in the world can dare to challenge them and even a non-sikh or a non-political or a non-religious person would show acceptance to them. But fact of the matter is that this congregation sent alarm bells to many factions of the society including SAD (Badal), Militant Hindu organizations etc. But the fact that needs to be highlighted here is that this gathering was only pro-sikh, it wasn't anti-Hindu, anti-Muslim, anti-Christian or any other community.

Now the main point of contention about the resolutions passed are their implementation at the panthic level and their acceptance by the common sikhs. The implementation of these resolutions would be done by sheer force that the radicals draw through their collectivity without any rational-legal authority e.g. The Jathedars appointed by Sarbat Khalsa can take charge only through sheer force and do not have any legal right to do it directly. On the other hand Jagtar Singh Hawara who has been accused of master-minding former CM Beant Singh's assassination is behind bars. The worst victim of these orthodox resolutions are likely to be Indian sikhs. Because those who seek Khalistan know that the unrest that would be created at ground zero won't effect them in any way if they're sitting in their cosy abodes somewhere in USA, UK, Canada or Australia. Rather I have a deal for them, if they can be flexible about choosing the venue of Sarbat Khalsa, they can show similar flexibility in carving out the territory of their Homeland Khalsitan.

As an Indian sikh, I do not want Punjab or India to be the center of Khalistani political activism and cannot afford to make it the center of blood-shed and massacre. NRI sikhs are more than welcome to make their countries as the center of Khalistani activities but they're not likely to do so because they don't want to spoil their tags of being responsible Americans or Canadians but any sikh who is a patriotic Indian itches them so much in their eyes. What is wrong if they choose the state of Alaska as territory of Khalistan and start a struggle against the American government for realizing their dream homeland and leave alone India and Pakistan to carve out erstwhile Punjab and label it as "Khalistan". Another issue that is worth raising here is that if Sikhs are considered to be a community without borders, scattered across the globe, co-existing with the majority communities of different countries then why is it that Sikhs settled in Christian countries can openly celebrate Christmas with pride, Sikhs settled in Islamic countries can celebrate Eid with zest and enthusiasm but when it comes to sikhs settled in India celebrating Navratras, Dushehra or Shiv Raatri, it's a cause of huge-huge concern for the sikh radicals and they feel threatened to be culturally assimilated by Hindus, the majority community of India.

With utmost respect to the sikh tenants and the resolutions passed at Sarbat Kahalsa, I feel that the peace and harmony of Punjab is under threat not directly by sikh radicals only but by those mischievous elements who know when to capitalize on the situations for their personal gains. They may or may not be a part of the government. There isn't much difference between people running the government and people like Jagtar Singh Hawara as the former use the tool of assassination secretly for personal gains but the latter used it openly for a bigger community cause. Unfortunately, in this battle of elephants, common people like us are like those insects crawling on the ground who may or may not get crushed depending on their luck and whatever happens in the politico-religious space, we just have one tool called "Adjustment/ Adaptation" to deal with it.

Now looking at the larger picture of Nationalism, I want to ask all those war veterans fighting for One Rank One Pension (OROP), what has patriotism and spirit of sacrifice for your country paid you back with ?? I also want to send a clear-cut message to the grand old political party which has emerged as the biggest situational beneficiary of the Bihar polls, "Indians have not forgotten 2G spectrum and Coal scams." Political crisis in Punjab doesn't mean that if Punjabis want to get rid of Badals, they'll have to resort to Congress in 2017. Bihar poll results have brought a landmark end to the personality-politics in the country and Congress would require much more than Captain's dynamic personality to win over Punjab in 2017.

I personally feel that AAP needs to find a right alliance partner to address panthic issues, it must consider PPP, SAD (Amritsar/ United/ 1920/ Panch Pardhani) for the same and keep its options open.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017- Part XI

At a time when the political atmosphere in the state is in turmoil, any attempt to soothe Punjabis for their anger results in more unrest and acts as salt over their wounds. In the tenth article of this series, I threw light on the farmer unrest and the Dera Chief’s pardon row, and now in the sequel it is apt to discuss about the aftermaths of the same. There is no denying the fact that religion of the majority community of the state i.e. Sikhism has acquired center-stage in today’s political landscape of the state especially after the desecration incidents of the holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib on multiple occasions. Two youths have lost their lives in the aftermath as a clash erupted between the police and the sikh protesters in Kotkapura. On the other hand, “Panj Piaras”- the five beloveds have summoned all the Jathedars of the five takhts for pardoning the Dera Chief- Gurmeet Ram Rahim. I believe that it is a very bold decision but the timing of this decision isn’t right. The decision of summoning the Jathedars would’ve been much more meaningful before they took a U-turn on the pardon row. It was only after the sikh high priests cancelled their pardon, the five beloveds summoned the high priests and paid the consequences.

The five beloveds who are actually the paid employees of SGPC and are playing a symbolic role of the five real beloveds i.e. Bhai Daya Singh ji, Dharam Singh ji, Himmat Singh ji, Mohkam Singh ji and Sahib Singh ji. It wasn’t of much surprise to see the five beloveds suspended and then reinstated again by the SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar. This whole episode actually seems to be a pre-planned drama to exhibit the superiority of the rational-legal autority over the traditional/ charismatic authority. And this is the fact that we sikhs mustn’t deny. Sikhism has lost its traditional glory in the era of modernization where the rational legal authority is considered above the traditional or the charismatic authority and similarly the professional elites have replaced the traditional/ religious elites. It’s not that I’m putting forward only theoretical concepts but a practical example to substantiate my argument is the 1984 incident which resulted in the demolition of Sri Akal Takht sahib. I feel more than disturbed to share this photo:

Let us stop living in denial as Sikhs and as Indians because this photo proves that the power and glory of Sri Akal Takht sahib was overshadowed by the Indian Army on the orders of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Though PM is the second highest constitutional office of the country which is below the President who is the supreme commander of the Indian Armed forces. The incumbent President at that time Giani Zail Singh couldn’t do anything as the President is more of a symbolic head of the state in India and the real power lie with the PM and his cabinet. My point here is that deadly force was used on the behest of the constitutional authorities of the country from being overshadowed by a traditional politico-religious institution. I have always advocated that Akal Takhat should be treated as an extra-constitutional authority as the successors of the same Congress government have set an example by introducing  the concept of UPA-chairperson who very well exercised her extra-constitutional authority over the Prime Minister of India for 10 years.

Well I think the need of the hour is to bring forward those sikh leaders who not only practice sikh ideals in their life but are also aware of the intricacies of the Indian polity and have a global vision. Only such leaders can counter the rampant “panthic-crisis” in the state. The entire politico-religious turmoil is definitely complicating things for the the novice party that is looking forward to enter the poll arena in 2017 but I believe that a hypothetical alliance or an alliance of situational benefit can prove to be fruitful for AAP if it collaborates with some panthic party that hasn’t established much base in the state assembly or the local governments (like municipal corporations, Zila parishads, Panchayats etc.). Parties like SAD (Amritsar), SAD (United) or SAD (Panch Pardhani) may have a meager presence in the SGPC (considered to be the Mini-sikh-Parliament) but in order to make their voice heard even at the panthic level, they need to strengthen their presence in the mainstream government institutions. As I mentioned in my article Current Sikh Politics, it is natural for SGPC to act as a second fiddle to the most influential political parties in the region and its loyalty will automatically gets gravitated towards the mainstream political party in the region except Congress even if it comes to power as it has a bad reputation with the radical sikh outfits. SGPC’s lack of autonomy and government-dependence increases when the lucrative benefits like police protection, red beacons, pilot gypsies and Z+ security covers are extended to the Jathedars and Office-bearers of SGPC. These benefits are immaterial for religious leaders who don’t have any genuine threat assessment.

Coming back to the hypothetical alliance, it is worth doing a comparative analysis of the two personalities who have successfully cracked UPSC Civil services, acquired high ranks in bureaucracy and then given it up to join mainstream politics. One is the incumbent Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who in considered to play a decisive role in the upcoming polls. The other one is an aged sikh leader Simranjit Singh Mann who was an IPS officer until June 1984 and resigned from Indian Police Services as a mark of protests for the demolition Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. Many sikhs resigned from elite services at the time to protest against the demolition of the Takht but Simranjit Singh Mann’s name stands out because he has wholely-solely dedicated his life to the panthic cause ever since. He has also created some fuss in the politico-religious space of the state out of his proximity and family ties with the former CM of the state Capt. Amrinder Singh. He can create a place in the mainstream politics of Punjab if he softens his stand on the separatist ideology. Unlike the media-friendly Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal who are comfortable with the limelight and are interested in forming the government in the state, Simranjit Singh Mann is currently an inert geek who prefers to keep a low profile and is feared by many political honchos of the state as his ways aren’t much pro-government. Mann is also a 2-time MP from Tarn Taran and Sangrur in 1989 and 1999 respectively.

Though the current Badal government has been taking some hard decisions recently, like removal of the Badal-loyalist Saini as the DGP of the state, as a face-saving exercise, it'll be interesting to see Punjab government's take on "Sarbat Khalsa" as SGPC has denied the interested "Jathebandis" on holding it in the Golden Temple complex. I'm sure that Badal government will try its best to look pro-panthic before the Sikh congregation and could take some more hard decisions and could go to the extent of demanding the resignation of the SGPC President, another Badal loyalist. It'll be interesting to watch the turn of events in the near future.

Current SIKH politics

With the announcement of the date of "Sarbat Khalsa" i.e. Nov 10, 2015, there are mixed responses of excitement, anxiety, nervousness and tension in the state. The current Sikh leadership is clearly divided in two factions i.e. "in-the-government" and "not-in-the-government", and government here means Punjab government. There is no denying that Sikhism and Khalsa-hood is no longer a phenomenon restricted to Punjab, people need to have clear view of the fact that running the government in this part of the world isn't a child's play. Even if some sikh has acquired an executive rank in the govt. i.e. IAS/ IPS/ PCS, he/ she can prove to be of indispensable value to the community, and those who acquire ministerial offices somehow emerge as Global faces of the community, Punjab being the place of its origin. Moreover, I don't see any non-Punjabi or NRI individual or organization who can assert itself over Punjabi Ministers and dictate terms to them for day to day working of the sikh shrines in India/ Punjab.

Though I'm not affiliated to any political party, all the parties and "Jathebandis" need to introspect on the fact that how much say/ presence they have in the Punjab government. They simply need to introspect that how many Ministers, MP's, MLA's and Councillors, they have and then make a move for the Sarbat Khalsa. The importance and agenda for the same needs to be redefined as the outrage after Dera Chief's pardon was made the basic issue for calling upon the convention. If this were the case the call for the Sarbat Khalsa holds no value after Akal Takht's U-turn on the pardon row.

Of course, the integrity of the SGPC is being challenged here but the premier sikh body too needs to free its loyalty from the government control. With the nature of work that SGPC does it is natural that its loyalty gets gravitated towards the most influential party in the region but then it narrows down the perspective of Sikhism and Khalsahood and confines it to Punjab only.

As an author it seems very easy for me to question the integrity of various political parties or "Jathe-bandis" who are interested to have a say in the sikh politics but I simply need to send across a message to all the Indian or Non- Indian sikh outfits who are looking forward to take part in "Sarbat Khalsa" convention to maintain the sanctity of the institution where sikh politics is rooted.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part X

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.

Punjab Assembly Polls 2017 - Part IX

A new article popped up in today's newspaper that is worth sharing and reflects the innumerable possibilities that can be anticipated for the upcoming polls. "Factionalism" within the political parties has acquired center stage in the pre-poll debacle to an extent that AAP has drastically reduced its scope for forming the next government in the state and Congress opening a new plethora of possibilities that shapes up the destiny of the state. The Captain-Bajwa clash has brought forward some shocking revelations.

In the race of being projected as the Chief Ministerial candidate by the party, these two leaders have come to the verge of giving a completely different angle to Punjab politics. Capt Amrinder Singh has the support of 30 out of 43 Congress MLA's who want him to lead the party in the upcoming polls whereas Bajwa claims that the number will be reduced to 20 as Captain is looking forward to break-away from Congress and launch his own new party named as PVP (Punjab Vikas Party). Bajwa can't be considered anywhere below when he makes an alarming prophecy about the 2017 elections outcome by saying, "After Bihar poll results which pollsters say BJP will win, Captain will form his PVP. BJP will split from Akalis. Captain will then pullback some legislators that he has loaned to Akalis, bringing Akalis in minority in the state assembly. The BJP will then impose President's rule in Punjab, rule by proxy until October next before declaring elections."

Bajwa's prophecy though has not been acknowledged by Captain or any other bigwigs of Punjab politics but it gave me goose bumps. It  made me nervous and worried on one hand but also hopeful on the other hand. But one thing Bajwa didn't realize before saying it was the AAP factor which is missing in Bihar Assembly polls and is a very prominent factor in Punjab Assembly polls. Also their back-end campaign of tying up with other parties to restrain AAP from forming the next government became more clear to me when the moderator of his FB page added me as a member to the FB group called "Punjab against AAP" where workers of different parties have joined hands against AAP.

On the other hand if we consider the possibility of Captain breaking away from Congress and forming PVP, then that would seem a more viable option than AAP in the interest of Punjab because at this juncture AAP seems too naive to govern Punjab as it is the state with one of the most complicated polities in the country and it shouldn't be left in the hands of novice leaders for governance. It is very certain that Captain will get the support of 20+ congress MLA's if he breaks away but still reaching that magical figure of 59 won't be possible for him alone. It will be possible only if some established leaders from other political parties breakaway from their own parties and join hands with him and also the freshly recruited AAP leaders having the potential to fetch seats breakaway and join him. My gut feeling says that if at all PVP comes into existence, the first two leaders to break away from BJP and join him would be the Sidhu Couple out of their family ties they share with Captain and more importantly out of the alleged humiliation and harassment they have faced from the SAD-BJP alliance.

Now that would be an interesting turnaround in Punjab politics as this couple can not only provide the star power and charisma to any party that they associate themselves with but they can also ensure institutional loyalty and youth power and can actually sweep a chunk of youth vote bank that has a vital role to play in the upcoming polls. Another possibility that can be adopted by the SAD to counter them would be to project Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a female leader, a national figure by virtue of her being the Union Cabinet Minister also the daughter-in-law of the Badal clan, as the Chief Ministerial candidate but that would violate the patriarchal structure of SAD and could hurt the "Alpha-male" images of Sukhbir and Majithia. Hence, SAD has the possibility of seeing a white-wash in 2017 if they don't do anything extraordinary.

I promise to keep pouring in more articles on the subject with the hope that they're touching people's lives and making a positive difference in the political space of my home state.