The winds of change are literally sweeping the political parties in Punjab. Its politicians, it seems, are making a habit out of switching sides. The buzz before the polls is that some leaders are changing parties faster than they would change their clothes.
Nothing unusual about it! Every time the elections approach, the season of poaching and shifting loyalties is in full bloom. But this time the change is faster and more intense than ever before. In fact, the election year saw almost all major political parties lose something without really gaining anything.
Heavyweights were seen leaving their mother parties, shifting loyalties, changing stands, embracing rivals, and what not, and in the process, leaving the voters confused.
“It sometimes become so funny as whenever we talk about elections now, we first have to make clear who’s representing which party…It’s all jumbled up,” Mohali-resident Paramjeet Kaur said.
Sharing same thought, Kharar-resident Kiran wondered over the reason for the same. “This is so confused…Sidhu was with BJP and had been attacking Congress, calling Rahul Gandhi Pappu…Now, he is with Congress, and assailing the BJP, calling them raakshas (demon), and shaking hands with Rahul Gandhi…there’s no integrity,” said Kiran, a schoolteacher.
Making the most out of it was the Congress party which has adopted an open arms policy for widening its base. Congress, led by State unit president Capt Amarinder Singh, wasted no time to throw open its doors to the leaders unhappy with their own party.
At his best, Capt Amarinder inducted no less than six sitting MlAs of the ruling alliance, including five from Akali Dal, former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, besides several other senior leaders from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), SAD and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) jumping on the Congress’ bandwagon.
In all, the party saw an influx of nearly 30 prominent leaders from other parties, leave aside the inconsequential ones. Considering cricketer-turned-politician Sidhu its best catch this season, the Congress is expecting a major advantage by its side.
Other than Sidhu, Congress wooed six sitting MlAs, including Sidhu’s wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, Olympian Pargat Singh, SAD rebel Inderbir Singh Bolaria, Rajwinder Kaur Bhagike, Maheshinder Singh, and former Cabinet Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur.
Rewarding them, Capt Amarinder ensured party ticket to all of them, except Dr Navjot Kaur, who has to back out owing to Congress’ ‘one family, one ticket’ rule. In her place, her former cricketer husband would open
his new inning with the Congress from Amritsar East assembly segment.
Other than that, the names of BJP veteran Satpal Gosain, former Akali MlA Naresh Kataria, AAP’s candidate for 2014 Amritsar lok Sabha election Dr Daljit Singh, AAP’s former national executive committee member Yamini Gomar, SAD MP Sher Singh Ghubaya’s son Davinder Ghubaya, former Akali leader and close aide of Simarjit Singh Bains
Kamaljit Singh Karwal, Akali leader Harry Mann, former
MP Amrik Singh Aliwal, among others.
There were some who made a ghar vapsi (homecoming) to the Congress — Suresh Gogia, Deepinder Singh Dhillon, three-time MlA Prof Darbari lal. As lal re-joined Congress by kicking AAP’s ticket, Dhillon was
rewarded for returning to the party fold by nominating him from Dera Bassi.
Akali Dal and AAP also made their attempts of poaching leaders from other parties. AAP’s Dalit face Jyoti Mann joined the SAD, while AAP’s Backward Class Wing
president Harjit Singh Adaltiwala and former Cabinet Minister Balbir Singh Bath returned to the party.
After ludhiana’s Bains Brothers tryst with Sidhu-led Awaaz-e-Punjab front ended in a short span, the two — Simranjeet Bains and Balwinder Bains — joined hands with AAP announcing alliance of their lok Insaaf Party.
SAD’s Amritsar district unit head Upkar Singh Sandhu, after a short stint with the Congress, hopping on to AAP which eventually declared him as its candidate for Amritsar lok Sabha bypoll.
So was Punjabi Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans, who left Akali dal to join congress and in a short span, shifted allegiance to the saffron party.
Then there are the likes of former Congress MP Jagmeet Brar, AAP’s former state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur and others. While Brar has tied up with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Benarjee led Trinamool Congress and appointed its Punjab
unit chief, Chhotepur has launched his own party, Apna Punjab Party — adding more to the mix-up.
The best was the case of former Chief Minister Beant Singh’s daughter Gurkanwal Kaur. Unhappy with the Congress for denying her ticket, she toyed with Akali Dal, but joined BJP and within three days, returned to the Congress fold.
Alarmed over the mounting tendency of shifting allegiance from one party to another just for power, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had called for far more stringent provisions of anti-defection law to avoid the “mockery of democracy”.
He pitched for strengthening the provisions of anti-defection law that lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified for defecting to another party.