After holding series of brainstorming sessions with the party leaders, bureaucrats, and members of various quarters to analyse party’s poor performance during recently-concluded parliamentary polls, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal has now turned to the social media to seek people’s suggestions to improve Government’s functioning.
The junior Badal has posed a question to the “followers” of his Facebook page, asking “what the Punjab Government should do to change your lifeIJ”Gaining a comprehensive and exhaustive feedback from different quarters, Sukhbir has, in fact, asked the people to come out with suggestions for helping the SAD-led State Government improve its performance.
Sukhbir’s poser is being seen as a knee-jerk reaction to the party’s not-so-good performance during the just-concluded lok Sabha elections, and an attempt to address problems faced by the residents at grass roots level — something which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been doing.AAP, after drawing blank in all the States, managed to wrest four seats in Punjab, by trouncing the political stalwarts and sitting MPs, including former Union Minister Preneet Kaur, Akali stalwart Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Akali MP Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, ex-MP Vijay Inder Singla.
Interestingly, AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal has almost always been going to the masses for their opinion before taking decisions. He has rather being attributing the party decisions to the mandate of the masses.The development also assumes significance as the practice of seeking suggestions and objections on key party decisions and ways of improving performance are not so uncommon in some of the foreign countries including the UK.
Despite ruling the State since more than seven years in coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while dictating his own terms, the SAD-BJP alliance has realised the importance of common man after election results gave a shocker.During post-poll analysis of the party’s performance and the reasons for the combine’s defeat on seven out of 13 seats, the resentment among the people against the ruling combine, drug menace, corruption, law and order situation, property tax, sand prices, among others emerged out to be the main issues.
Only recently, Sukhbir, in a damage control mode, has taken slew of decisions, on both the administrative and political fronts, to improve the government’s and party’s functioning. Moreover, he also initiated several steps related to drugs, property tax — the issues that caused the party huge chunk of votes.
Sukhbir’s move to invite suggestions from the people, by choosing a social networking site as a medium, has evoked sharp responses including a suggestion to resign by the state’s former DGP Shashi Kant.His late Saturday post, at around 10 pm, has 9665 people liking it while 8479 have commented or given their suggestions on Sukhbir’s query. The post was also “shared” by 409 Facebook users.The issues, ranging from drugs, power situation, government employees’ problems, justice to 1984 riot victims, development, to improvement in health, education, industrial sectors, coupled with generation of more employment opportunities has been raised by the people. Many of them have also asked Sukhbir either to “quit”, or “change habits”.
Some of the people have also posed a query over expulsion of his brother-in-law and the state Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia.Besides finger pointing, many have “hailed” the state government’s performance and development. “Sir, I do not hail from Punjab. But I am very much impressed by the steps you have taken there in last five-six years. I suggest that more people interaction and local issue resolve to be given age,” posted Arvind Mehrotra, a Facebook user.
Arshinder Singh wrote, “Make police answerable to public....single window clearance for industry.” Another Facebook user, SP Sharma suggested, “Make the administration responsive. This has to be done at the lowest level of tehsildar, SDM and SHO.”
Giving reason for the move, Sukhbir’s close aide told The Pioneer, “Election results have indeed brought in many surprises…it shows that there was resentment among people, mainly due to negative campaign against the government, or the decisions that were taken were not implemented completely. Now, Deputy Chief Minister has decided to monitor everything on his own…and it is a good move to invite suggestions from the people in this way.”