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.

Punjab Assembly Polls 2017 - Part VIII (Baahu-bali culture and the underworld)

This is a perspective that most of the intellectuals and policy makers try to look over but the role of muscle power is indispensable and inseparable from any political elections in India. In other north Indian states like Bihar, UP, Jharkhand etc. "Baahu-bali" is a term which is commonly used for muscle men who are not only bullies or goons themselves but they are backed by a huge army of musle-men who are always ready to man-handle any situation or person that comes in the way of their personal or political ambitions. Though there is no such official designation as "Baahu-bali" in Punjab or any other state but these Baahubalis have strongly emerged as the extra-constitutional authorities by virtue of their musle-power. These muscle-men do not only have a huge number of supporters but also a bulk of arms and and ammunition that they procure by fair and false means.

Call it a paradox of our democracy or the height of misfortune of our country that these Baahubalis are highly respected and feared by not only the common man but also top-notch government officials, capitalists and celebrities. In some parts of India, the extent of their power has gone upto the extent of entering a bureaucrat's office without his permission and man-handling him. Now as we move ahead with this article I will quote some of the most notorious muscle men and underworld dons of Punjab who have been made news in the recent past.

Jaggu Bhagwanpuria recently nabbed by Punjab police has been dodging the police department for a very long time. In his late 20's, this young man who has chosen the wrong way is considered to be one of the most dangerous criminals of the underworld in the state. Though denying the presence of any underworld or illegal trafficking in Punjab would be like living in denial. Some of the insiders even claim that he enjoys the patronage of the Akali Minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia, though the charges have not been proven and the evidence is yet to enter the public domain.

Another notorious case that shook the whole state was the brutal murder of the Gangster Sukha Kahlon. Few months back, after he was arrested, his rival gangsters intercepted the police lorry in which he was being taken for the judicial remand and fired more than 60 rounds at him and left his corpse beyond recognition. This act of terror put a huge question mark on the Home Ministry of the state held by the Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal about the deteriorating law & order situation in the state.

Though both these young gangsters have proven the huge impact of the underworld on Punjab, none of them can be called as "Baahu-balis" as Jaggu's arrest isn't considered to have effected his patron minister much, neither Sukha Kahlon's death is considered as a political assassination as it was an outcome of the gang-war. Ministers have many gangsters like them at their disposal any time. But there are some muscle-men who have been in the mainstream politics and are very much open with their political affiliations. Such muscle men have a public persona which somehow out-weighs their illegal actions and establishments. Though I'm not trying to glorify gangsters or muscle-men in any way but I'm only trying to highlight the facts.

Muscle-men also have their area of influence. Some of them are famous only in a locality or a city. e.g. there are many muscle men in my area who have a suffix "pehalwan" with their names and they are proud to be called as an XYZ pehelwan like Shoki pehalwan, Nindi pehalwan etc are the famous pehalwans of my area who are affiliated to Congress. Another famous Pehalwan of my city, Amritsar is Gurdeep Pehalwan:

Gurdeep Pehalwan is a Congress loyalist and can be given due credit for Capt. Amrinder Singh's victory over Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha elections 2014. Jaggu's arch rival and his supporters have been threatened by Jaagu and his gang-members on various occasions. He took a breath of relief with Jaggu's arrest. How do I know all this ?? Their rivalry made news on multiple occasions and many local newspapers covered it up including Amritsar Tribune.

Now the person I'm about to mention has somehow achieved the status of a "Baahu-bali" as his persona has transcended the power of many office-bearers who are holding high constitutional offices like Ministries in the state governments. Kanwar Pehalwan is an entrepreneur, businessman, leader, musle-man, philanthropist etc etc.

Though I haven't researched much on Kanwar Pehalwan, he is considered as one of the most powerful muscle man of North India who is also considered to have links with Dawood Ibrahim and has a network scattered across the country. People like him defy all the theoretical definitions of "Power-elites" of "Economic-elites". Some photos of him which are present in the Google search results make you imagine the extent of his power.

3 Akali Ministers i.e. Dhindsa, Majithia and Ranike can be seen standing on his sides and projecting him as a central figure of the event. It is worth mentioning of another famous "Bijli Pehalwan" of Amritsar who has a very famous temple and an "Akhara" (wrestling arena) constructed in the most posh Lawrence Road area of the city. "Bijli Pehalwan" was considered as one of the greatest political muscle men in the yester-years and was considered as a close aide to the then Prime Minister of the country Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Though Bijli Pehalwan is no more and his fourth or fifth generation is living a highly luxurious life as they are considered among the economic elites of the city. Though none of his descendants have become wrestlers or pehalwans but majority of them have resorted to entrepreneurship following the inheritance of the huge fortune that Bijli pehalwan provided them with.

Now, I'm sure that after reading this article many of the youngsters may find it very alluring to become gangsters or "Baahu-balis" and aspire to add a suffix like "pehalwan" to their names. In fact, I too find it tempting to add pehalwan to my name and become "Harman Pehalwan" or "Punnu Pehalwan" but that is not what I choose to be nor I can afford to make such a choice. Because life is not all about money or muscle power. I think my purpose is different, hence I need to make different choices but yes.... 

The satisfaction of highlighting some unsaid phenomenons that govern the Punjab polity stays with me and verbalizing them in an appropriate way seems really satisfying and fulfilling.

Punjab Assembly Polls 2017 - Part VII (The Global Effect)

Something that empowers me to write this seventh article in series on the subject, is the recent report of the religious census which has shown alarming results for minority communities.

Though these figures are not specific to the state, Punjab's statistics are (from The Tribune):

Total Population: 2,77,43,338

Sikhs: 1,60,04,754

Hindus: 1,06,78,138

Muslims: 5,35,489

Christians: 3,48,230

Now, it's not that I want to create my own subjective reality using these figures. Some genuine opinions are floating around, about the decline in %age of the sikh population in the state and the country. The main reason that the majority of the analysts are citing for the same is the immigration to other countries. Though it's not a hidden reality that Sikhism and Punjabiyat became global phenomenon long time ago as it's been more than a century ago that Punjabis and sikhs have been migrating to countries like USA, Canada, England, Australia etc. and some of the migrants might be reaching their 4th or 5th generation.

Every political party targets to garner the majority community vote-bank in any elections and in this case it is definitely the sikh vote bank that holds maximum importance. Though the parties would even get to the level of fielding the candidates based on their castes to mobilize the masses in their favor and there's no denying the fact about the existing and operating caste system in the sikh community which I have touched in my article "Caste System in Sikh Community", the link to it is 

http://mysikhism.blogspot.in/2015/04/caste-system-in-sikhcommunity-it-would.html 

Though my current article is not centered around any particular community but there's a general notion that can be felt and clearly observed w.r.t. the sikh community. Sikhs generally have a notion that Canada, US, UK are much more livable countries for sikhs where Canada tops the chart wherein states like Vancouver is called "Mini-Punjab" and the state of "British Columbia" has Punjabi as the second official language. Some religious hardliners even go onto saying that Canada is a safe-haven for the sikh identity because it's a cosmopolitan country to its core unlike India where pseudo-secularism prevails under the hegemonic Hindutva framework and the sikh identity is under constant threat of cultural assimilation and even physical extermination. Their arguments sometimes look justified if we read the Article 25 of the Constitution which states that:

Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion
(1) Subject to public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of this Part, all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion
(2) Nothing in this article shall affect the operation of any existing law or prevent the State from making any law
(a) regulating or restricting any economic, financial, political or other secular activity which may be associated with religious practice;
(b) providing for social welfare and reform or the throwing open of Hindu religious institutions of a public character to all classes and sections of Hindus (Explanation I) The wearing and carrying of kirpans shall be deemed to be included in the profession of the Sikh religion (Explanation II) In sub clause (b) of clause reference to Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religion, and the reference to Hindu religious institutions shall be construed accordingly

 Now, Punjabis settled in any part of the world always have a vested interest in the govt.-formation in their state back home. Some of them have their property disputes, some have their pending court cases, some even look for investment opportunities in their home-state. Now looking beyond the interests of entrepreneurs and capitalists, some NRI's have their parents, kith and kin settled back here and those who're emotionally attached to their roots often look back for a home-coming after spending a decade or two abroad and making money which suffices their needs. Such NRI's who come back to get settled here often seek political affiliations to enjoy higher status in the society or even to pursue their vested interests and take favor from government departments. Hence, the need for the leaders having a global outlook becomes utmost important even at the level of the state.

The problem with the incumbent govt. is that they have a trust deficit not just with the Punjabis living in India but also abroad. This can be justified with another social media source which shows that the Canadian Sikhs made a ruckus at the rally of some Akali ministers who tried to hold a rally in Canada. Though this video doesn't show anything substantial but it shows that NRI's showed their absolute non-acceptance for the Punjabi Ministers and thoroughly protested their arrival over there which forced the ministers to leave the venue to avoid any untoward incident:

Now after watching this video, it becomes very hard to decide on your ambitions to move abroad because this video makes sure that if u've climbed up the stratification ladder in India and enjoyed vertical mobility by acquiring an elite office like that of a Minister, you'll be treated as a public figure even in the countries that claim to have an egalitarian and a cosmopolitan culture. On the other hand I want to ask those Canadians to swear in the name of God and tell that is it just the "Panthic Agenda" or "Community agenda" which drives them to stay connected to the government back home and they have no property disputes, pending court cases or other personal issues which are impossible to resolve without government intervention.

I simply do not want to think like an escapist who plans to run away from the country if the current system is not favoring me, but I believe in staying right here and act under my capacity to make the system favorable for myself. We should be clear about the fact that life is not a bed of roses in the west nor money grows on trees over there. Ultimately what matters is that which country is yours and how much you love it.

On the other hand if I take a dig at the politicians of Punjab, I don't see any face who can portray the true picture of Punjab at the national as well as the global front. SAD claims the Punjab Reorganization Act of 1966 was an achievement taking into account the security of the linguistic heritage of Gurmukhi but some analysts claim that the "Punjabi Suba" movement ultimately sufficed to the vested interests of a few Akali leaders who laid the foundation for their dynasties to rule the state and was a complete failure to preserve the true heritage of Punjab which shrunk to only 12% of its actual size after the reorganization.

The destruction of Punjab hasn't stopped, since then. 1947, 1966, 1984, 1987, till date Punjab continues to get a fatal blow from the insiders. If we cannot avert the damage, we can at least minimize it by caring for it.

Punjab Assembly Polls 2017 - Part VI (Local Case Study)

I think the time is absolutely right to connect my real life politics with my passion for blogging. This is the 6th article in my series where I want to include a local case study in my thesis on the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls. The purpose of choosing this topic is that I can draw a clear-cut picture of the state-of-affairs and its ripple effects. Some people will get astonished with the fact that an issue of such a small stature can be viewed with the frame of reference of state or even national politics.

I live in Basant Nagar area of Amritsar which has around 600 families residing in it. Though this area is scattered over several acres and has approximately 4-5 streets  and a beautiful park which is in the proximity of almost every resident. This park used to be a garbage dump almost 20 years back and has been rehabilitated and destroyed from time to time, sometimes by the government and sometimes by the residents.

Now the present state of this park has been out of an unsaid "PPP" i.e. Public-Private Partnership agreement. There has been some sort of help from the govt. and the residents are bearing the monthly cost of maintenance of the park. At one corner of the park is temple which is an illegal construction as per the municipal corporation norms. Though the history of this temple is very interesting in a sense that, almost 2 decades back when there used to be a garbage dump in the park, some residents made a small sacred chamber here with the photos of demigods and goddesses in it, so that people refrain from dumping the garbage in it. 

Though the Basant Nagar demography is very much like the Indian demography with Hindu majority, the person who took initiative for constructing this temple was a sikh. Then around 9 years back there was complete "Hindu-Sikh" riot like situation in the area for renovation and extension of the temple into a full fledged religious construction that it is today. Now this area, though located in Amritsar which is known as the hub of Sikhism, has over 80% Hindu population and around 20% sikh population. It doesn't have any Mohammedan, Christian, Jain or Buddhist family settled in it as per my knowledge.

The issue that is resonating the area these days is of a "Jaagran" that is scheduled to be held in Basant Nagar area where many Hindu fundamentalists are residing.

These Hindu fundamentalists want to organize the "Jaagran" in the park and using the "Jaagran" as a religious tool, they want to capture the space of the park and use it for their ulterior motives. They want to destroy the park and make this place as a full-fledged community center where they can organize their social gatherings like- marriage and other functions. Hence their destructive and malicious intentions are very clear from this initiative. Though there are many educated and liberal Hindus against this move and fully support the idea of not organizing any sort of religious or social function in the park.

Now if we look at ripple effects of this seemingly small issue, they're immense in real life. The "Basant Nagar Residents Welfare Association" has already shot-off official letters stating the anticipated communal tension in the area to the MLA of the constituency (also the Cabinet Minister), A very prominent Akali leader of the state (off the record), Councillor of this ward, Commissioner of Police Amritsar, Sub-Divisional Officer and Station House Officer of the related police station but these Hindu fundamentalists are not ready to back-off from their stand and expecting some financial compensation for their retreat. Now, whatever be the outcome of this issue, we need to look at larger picture of this scenario.

There is no doubting the fact that as soon as Modi came to power, radical Hindu outfits like RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal got emboldened to assert their will in the political space. Punjab is a state where these outfits are very active and some analysts even say that RSS clearly dictates terms to SAD as SAD also needs Hindu votes. The local case study that I've mentioned hasn't got much political mileage yet because the intentions and the outcomes of political intervention can be well-predicted as no political party would like to let go off the majority community vote-bank and take a rational and an unbiased stand. Another social-media source that is worth sharing here is a youtube video of Arundhati Roy and I strongly recommend the readers to watch it:

Now this video would give any civilized person some goose-bumps and the sense of insecurity is bound to get inculcated in all the minority communities. Now many readers may not be aware of the fact that constitutionally, all the minority communities of India except Muslims and Christians are recognized as Hindus, be it Jains, Buddhists or even Sikhs. This analogy perfectly fit the hegemonic framework of Hinduism that the Hindu fundamentalist want to make for all the Indians. They want to rob-off their originality, personal identity and individuality by labeling all the people of minority communities as Hindus without realizing the historical context of the term. The term "Hindu" is actually a geographical term as implied by the history of it origin. The river Indus is called "Sindhu" in Sanskrit and Arabic and the Turks and Afghans of the olden time had a hard time pronouncing "Sa" and they repeatedly called it "Ha". Hence, the term "Hindu" got originated which means that people living on the other (eastern) side of river Indus. And some ignorant, illiterate Indians still think that "Hindu" is a religious term and sikhism is an off-shoot of Hinduism which actually is "Sanatan Dharam." I have touched this topic of Hinduism and Sikhism in my article "Hindus and Sikhs- Oneness and infighting" and the link is:

http://mysikhism.blogspot.in/2015/04/hindus-and-sikhs-oneness-and-infighting.html

Now considering the present political scenario of the country, I think the issue of sikh-identity crisis is likely to get exaggerated and the so called PANTHIC party in Punjab, currently ruling the state, has miserably failed to get the sikh identity established as independent and second to none. Hence, sikhs need to make a better choice for securing their identity which is under constant threat of forcible extermination or cultural assimilation.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part V

After a very traumatic day when Punjab faced a major militant attack on Gurdaspur police station, the entire counter-insurgency operation that lasted for 12 hours shook the whole nation, not just Punjab. A shocking incident that reminded Punjab of its dark days of militancy. Though there have been many speculations about the various terrorist organisations about the attack, but I completely rubbish this claim or any possibility of yesterday's Gurdaspur infiltrators belonging to Babbar Khalsa or any sikh extremist outfit. Prima Facie, from the photos of their dead-bodies circulated on social media, they're looking like Muslim terrorists. Maybe the Indian intelligence is right if they link it to LeT (Lashkar-e-Toiba). KPS Gill's speculation cannot be ignored either if he says that it's an IS's (Islamic State's) knock on the Indian doors. I don't think situation is under control yet. Not just me, every Punjabi is worried about the peace and harmony in the state after this attack.

Now this incident clearly indicates that Punjabis need a strong government that can not only ensure communal peace and harmony but can also ensure about its effectiveness in dealing with insurgency. Though today's operation was carried out by the Punjab Police SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team assisted by the army and the para-military forces, but it lost an SP level officer and two home-guards. But the political tragedy behind this whole episode is that we clearly saw a center-state blame game for covering up government's reluctance to act swiftly on the inputs given by the intelligence, though some analysts claim the loopholes in the intelligence to avert such untoward incident. Though Punjab has also seen the rise and fall of a very powerful secessionist movement in 1980's which claimed almost a million lives over a decade, this attack had absolutely nothing to do with its dark history.

Whenever an act of terror strikes, it is either the army, para-military or the police force who emerge as heroes, politicians look more like superficial actors who can only make stereotypical statements and do nothing bold or show no act of valour. Now this has been the tragedy of every democracy, that soldiers and policemen die fighting such evils and politicians move on without shedding a single tear by simply making a hackneyed, superficial statement that simply provokes a sense of patriotism for the moment. It would be really interesting to see a minister or a high ranking official showing some physical courage by fighting alongside a soldier or a policeman. Today's event was also a great satire on those Punjabi singers who promote useless violence in their songs and people especially youngsters can ask them that "where were their guns and guts when terror struck Punjab ??"

Another phenomenon that has kept the government engaged is "Surat Singh Khalsa's fast unto death" to protest against extended sentence of all the sikh prisoners who have finished the duration of their sentence announced by the court. Though the Badal govt. has been very reluctant to hear their woes, and has stuck to the Supreme Court judgement which states that: A convict undergoing life imprisonment is expected to remain in custody till the end of his life, subject to any remission granted by the appropriate government. The convict will be in custody for an indeterminate period. Therefore, remissions earned by or awarded to such a life convict are only notional. In this case, to reduce the period of incarceration, a specific order under Section 432 of the CrPC will have to be passed by the appropriate government. However, the reduced period cannot be less than 14 years as per Section 433-A of the CrPC.

Now the tragedy behind this episode is that an 82 year old man has been on a hunger strike for more than 6 months, has been kept in police custody, force fed, hospitalized and has been given intra-venal drip several times, but he has refused to back-out from his objective. Though there have been many violent clashes and arrests of right-wing sikh hardliners who are khalsa's supporters , the Punjab government has stayed phlegmatic. Now sikhs expect SAD to support and pursue panthic interests but it has failed to resolve the matter with the undaunted octogenarian. BJP has distanced itself from the issue. AAP and Congress haven't shown any reaction yet but what are they waiting for. Their silence at this stage means they're not supporting Khalsa and by definition, they too are opposing him. Hence, panthic interests are the victims of the power-struggle in the state and it would be in the best interest of the sikh youth to understand that they should pursue panthic interests through other organisations like Dal Khalsa and SGPC and not leave them at the mercy of any political party. And SGPC should define a clear-cut distinction between panthic and non-panthic issues and try to minimize political interference in religious matters.

One best thing which can be pointed out about the incumbent government is that it knows how to handle the sikh radicals and is well aware of ways and means to appease them. Even if it pursues its own vested interests, it can always project an image of being the voice of the sikh community which is in minority in the country. Taking into account all the hardcore ground realities of the state, the idea to support student politics is justified only if students are aware of such sensitivities. The PUSU (Punjab University Student Union) elections is the perfect show of muscle and SUV's with very little morality and substance, and is more of a glamorous affair for rich, spoil brats. If the sikh youth needs to be empowered even at the student level, they should make AISSF (All India Sikh Student Federation) more active and start operating more vigorously like NSUI (National Student Union of India) backed by Congress and ABVP (Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad) backed by BJP.

Undoubtedly, all these factors have a bearing on the upcoming assembly elections of the state. The message conveyed through this article is simple that whether it's Congress, BJP, SAD or AAP, all have to keep in mind the sensitivity of Punjab as a political battleground and contest the elections in the right spirit so that no secessionist movement or insurgency can rise again and make Punjab bleed to hell, like it has in the past. All politicians cutting across party lines, should do some soul-searching and try to make their home state more peaceful and livable instead of turning it into a political battleground.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part IV

At this juncture of time, too much has happened in the political space in Punjab which is likely to have a direct impact on the upcoming Assembly polls. Actually I am in a complete state of disgust after observing the political updates in the last 2 weeks and the reason behind that is the leading faces of all the political parties which are the main competitors of the upcoming polls. The following news featured in The Tribune dated 13 July 2015.

Apparently on different pages of the same newspaper, the former CM and the incumbent CM made a statement contradicting each other just for the sake of it. The most irritating part is that these two leaders have made it a personal battle and are so much consumed with their political rivalry that they think it's either me or the other one who can rule the state and no third power can emerge as long as two of us are there. I won't call it an SAD-BJP-Congress nexus but definitely a Captain-Badal nexus to make a fool out of Punjabis.

But even worse is the fact that I'm much more disgusted with AAP as compared to Congress or SAD out of the infighting and factionalism coming in the public domain. Though many AAP loyalists in Delhi were highly disturbed over the expulsion of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the party, expulsion of Dr. Daljit Singh from the Punjab executive committee has infuriated many AAP workers in the state. Many prominent leaders of the party are blaming Arvind Kejriwal for having a dictatorial attitude. Actually, this is changing the entire scenario of the AAP image. Now AAP is making an impression that it's become so much ambitious that it's forgetting about the ways and means of achieving their political success. They're simply looking for leaders who can fetch them seats irrespective of their morals and are bypassing "the neat and clean image" as a criteria for induction into the party. Even Dr. Dharamvir Gandhi has questioned the integrity of Sucha Singh Chhotepur, the Chairman of AAP executive committee of Punjab, by calling him an opportunist who has switched various political parties in the past for making a political career. Only Bhagwant Mann is projecting a magnanimous image and talking of taking everyone along. 

Another social-media source that is worth sharing here is the youtube video of Balwant Singh Nandgarh, the erstwhile Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib:

  

I recommend all the readers to watch this video as the Jathedar though, has been hesitant in making any political statement but has clearly said : "BJP does exactly what SAD tells it to do and SAD does exactly what RSS tells it to do, hence SAD is not thinking about panthic interests."

Though SAD-BJP put up a united face during the Union Finance Minster's visit at Amritsar but it would be really interesting to watch that whether they keep their words about the alliance or not. Punjab politics is actually as bad as any crooked state which has little hope for the future and I recommend the youth to stay away from it as much as possible as the established leaders can make a political non-entity out of a powerful person like Navjot Singh Sidhu at any time and hence the aspiring leaders have absolutely no future in state politics, even AAP doesn't ensure a stable and a reliable platform.

I will present the sequel of this article soon where I'll touch the role of right-wing Sikh outfits and student politics which are the burning topics nowadays.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part III (Mission MALWA)

Before making any tall claims about formation of the govt. in Punjab, it is important to understand the region-wise distribution of Legislative Assembly seats in Punjab. Punjab comprises three regions namely Majha, Doaba and Malwa. There are 117 assembly constituencies in the state. The delimitation process in assembly segments has changed the number of constituencies in the regions benefiting the already dominant Malwa by increasing four seats two each from Majha and Doaba. This development not only increased the electoral importance of the region but also became beneficial to the SAD politically. It must be mentioned here that all the Chief Ministers of the state, except one, have been from Malwa region since the reorganization of Punjab in 1966. There has been a complete dominance of this region in state politics.

Region wise Seats

	Seats in 2007	Seats in 2012	Change
Majha	27	25	-2
Doaba	25	23	-2
Malwa	65	69	+4

So, a simple equation about winning the election and forming the government is to win over the Malwa region. Though in 2012 elections the SAD rebel and former Finance Minister of the state failed miserably to fetch even a single seat for "Sanjha Morcha" but hopes are high for Bhagwant Mann for the upcoming 2017 assembly polls. Coincidentally, both Manpreet Badal and Bhagwant Mann are also from the Malwa region making it not only the center of power but also the center for high political activism and political rebellion. Though Manpreet Badal lost by a small margin from Bathinda constituency and Mann made a huge victory from Sangrur constituency in the 2014 parliamentary elections, both of them will be the key players in 2017. Bhagwant Mann also broke away from PPP to join AAP and proved his decision worthy by winning the Sangrur constituency and becoming the leading face of AAP in Punjab and the most likely leader to be projected as the Chief Ministerial candidate for 2017 assembly polls. Though Mann's opportunism proved fruitful for him personally but such opportunism is justified to boost the political careers because even if we look at the careers of our last two Chief Ministers i.e. Capt. and Badal, both have switched political parties at some point of time in the initial stages of their political careers until they became established brands of Punjab politics. And thanks to the leaders like Badal, Tohra and Simranjit Singh Mann for the bifurcation of Shiromani Akali Dal into (B)- Badal faction and (A)- Amritsar faction.

The most interesting thing would be to notice that how Bhagwant Mann and Manpreet Badal will come together to win over Malwa region and make it their stronghold because they will definitely need each other's support to win over the astute SAD lead by Badal and Majithia and the unpredictable Congress lead by Captain and Bajwa.

I will definitely touch the economic aspect of Malwa region and the other dynamics of Punjab politics in my upcoming articles on this subject.