Back from an intense 10-day meditation course, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s decision to supervise party in Punjab is sure to give sleepless night to the well-established and traditional political parties in the State — the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.
After his return from vipassana course in the cool environs of Dharamsala, Kejriwal on Friday announced that he will lead the party from the front for Punjab Assembly polls, where the AAP is gaining huge public support. Its resurgence has already turned the ballot battle in Punjab into triangular contest.
The AAP had, long ago, announced its ‘Mission 2017’ for Punjab. At the same time, the party had also made it clear that after Delhi only Punjab was on its priority list. Time and again the AAP has also indicated that it has complete focus on the State and is making every possible effort to make its Mission 2017 a huge success.
In a step towards the same, Kejriwal decided to occupy the driver’s seat to drive the party towards victory.
However, Kejriwal’s decision to assign its senior leaders responsibility to supervise campaigning in Gujarat and Goa - the two poll-bound States - has raised eyebrows over his claims of concentrating on Punjab.
As per his decision, from September, Kejriwal would spend at least half of the month in Punjab till elections — a news that has enthused the AAP camp. In the recent past, Kejriwal has visited the state at least four times, back-to-back.
“It is a good decision and will surely help the State as Kejriwal has his own popularity, a magnetism that attracts people. His words are taken quite seriously by the people, and his presence in the state would show how serious the party is for Punjab. Moreover, he has proved himself as good leader, and would effectively lead the party in Punjab too,” a senior AAP leader told The Pioneer.
The party had created ripples in Punjab politics by winning four parliamentary seats out of total 13 during 2014 polls while drawing blank in the entire country. It had damaged badly the equations of both the ruling SAD-BJP and the Congress party by creeping into their vote banks.
Though the party could not succeed in the bypolls that followed, it is still considered frontrunner in the forthcoming elections that are just about four to five months away.
The AAP is banking on its performance during 2014 lok Sabha polls that upset the political equations in the State.
It has been learnt that Kejriwal’s decision has also upset some part leaders, especially those who were eyeing the chief ministerial post. Sources maintained that couple of leaders believed that Kejriwal’s presence would overshadowed other leaders, that may go against them.
“We have to make sure that party’s campaign would not be limited to just one person, but give equal importance to other leaders, especially the candidates,” another senior leader, requesting anonymity, said. The leader added that AAP should not be Kejriwal’s party in Punjab, “but it should be people’s party, the party of common man”.
Kejriwal’s decision is also being seen as his attempt to move to Punjab following Delhi high court’s ruling that lieutenant Governor (l-G) is its administrative head of Delhi and not the Chief Minister.
“After High Court’s decision, Kejriwal is now dreaming to become Punjab Chief Minister which would never be realized as he cannot befool Punjabis as he did in Delhi,” said a Congress leader.
Nevertheless, Kejriwal’s passage from Delhi to Punjab would not be smooth for the certain reasons — firstly, he hails from Haryana with which Punjab has several issues, and he was neither a Sikh nor well-versed with the Punjabi language and culture.