With the Punjab Assembly polls still a year away, all the major political parties in the State — the SAD-BJP combine, the Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — have got into a poll mode. Right from attacking each other to shifting loyalties, the hectic politicking has already begun.
Sunday witnessed a triangular contest between the three during the ongoing ‘Shaheedi Jor Mela’ at Fatehgarh Sahib. All the parties made the most of the religious stage as they organised their respective political conferences to exhibit their strength, and lash out at one another.
The mela was organised on the martyrdom day of Baba Fateh Singh and Baba Zoravar Singh — the younger sahibzadas (sons) of Sikhs’ tenth master Guru Gobind Singh and his mother Mata Gujari.
Be it the ruling SAD, the Opposition Congress, the new entrant AAP or the radical-minded SAD (Amritsar), the political conferences they organised during the religious congregation were a clear indicator that all parties were gearing up for the 2017 Assembly polls.
While the SAD accused the Congress and other parties of conspiracies to create unrest in Punjab, the Congress alleged the ruling combine of ruining the State.
“I must warn you that there are many conspiracies against the Akali Dal and the Sikhs. The Congress is the biggest enemy of Sikhs,” said SAD president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal.
launching a frontal attack on the ruling party, State Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh said: “Punjab is in a complete mess and only the Akali Dal and Badals are responsible for this. The law and order situation is deteriorating and the state is in a financial mess. The Congress is ready to make them bite the dust.”
Taking both of them on, the AAP leadership, led by Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann and Punjab unit leader Sucha Singh Chhotepur, stated that the Akali Dal and Congress were involved in friendly political fights and had encouraged corruption in the State.
SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann, making the presence felt, blamed the Akali Dal Government for not being able to control recent incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and firing on those protesting against these incidents.
CAPT, CHOTTEPUR, KHAIRA ARE HABITUAl TURNCOATS: BADAl
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday claimed that the leaders like Capt Amarinder Singh, Sucha Singh Chottepur and Sukhpal Khaira were “habitual turncoats” and their sole aim was to pursue the “politics of opportunism”.
“Their loyalty to party is the least consideration for them, the moment they are denied some position or ticket in the party, they care two hoots for it,” said Badal.
Badal, in a lighter vein, said: “For God forbid, if I leave my party, I am sure tomorrow none would say hello or offer a cup of tea to me…It is the only party which gives respect and recognition to the person and without it he is nothing.”
“Capt Amarinder left SAD as he too was denied ticket because he didn’t fulfil the prescribed criteria for ticket allotment. When I enquired from Capt Amarinder whether he had ever been to jail or participated any religious or panthic morcha, Capt Amarinder replied in negative saying that he was Maharaja and such activities were never a part of their lifestyle or upbringing,” said Badal.
Badal also slammed the “irresponsible leaders” of some political parties which were hell bent upon to divide the people on sectarian lines and disintegrate the country with the sole motive to pursue their narrow vested interests.
Branding the Congress party as “No.1 enemy of Sikhs”, Badal said that it was an established fact and more over it was on the record that this party had done lot of injustice to the state by depriving of its capital, legitimate share in river waters and Punjabi speaking areas.
Badal, mincing no words, said that anyone who joined hands with Congress was equally responsible for its misdeeds and conspiracies perpetrated by it against Punjab and would ultimately put a seal of his approval on their unpardonable sins like attack on Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar and other excesses meted out to Punjab and Punjabis.
The Chief Minister said that he was duty bound to preserve peace, communal harmony, amity and brotherhood in the state till his last breath since these were the basic ingredients of development, progress and prosperity and would never compromise to safeguard these supreme values.
Referring to the mushrooming of new political party, especially AAP, which was spreading its wings in Punjab, Badal said that it was a “frustrated lot of novices already rejected by the people” and its Delhi model of administrative failure was a live proof of its inability to handle state affairs.
ONlY SAD HAS SAFEGUARDED INTERESTS OF SIKHS: SUKHBIR
Avowing to bring apostic Sikh (patits) youth back into the fold of Sikh maryada (religious code of conduct), the SAD chief Sukhbir Badal on Sunday asked the SGPC chief to intensify efforts in this regard.
“This would be a real tribute to the younger sahibzadas who have laid their lives for the sake of religious freedom and righteousness,” said Sukhbir, while addressing the party’s political conference.
He also appealed to the elders and parents to wean away the youth from intoxicants and narcotic drugs and involve them into religious and sporting activities so that Punjab could have all-inclusive development and attain progress.
Giving a call to the people of the state to remain steadfast in their devotion to the ideals of unity, he said that only that ‘qaum’ (community) remains strong which stands united in the face of every challenge and maintains its cultural heritage.
Sharing the religio-social agenda, Sukhbir said that 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh would be celebrated with fanfare in all villages to inform the younger generation about sacrifices made by our revered gurus.
Besides, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) would send exhibition vans in each village to showcase ‘Char Sahibzade’ movie to the people.
“SGPC members would also initiate langar sewa at Darbar Sahib,” he said, adding that kirtan darbars and amrit sanchar would also be held by the SGPC in each town and village from January next year.
Taking the Congress party to task, Sukhbir dared it to list even a single social, economic or political development carried out by it.
Sukhbir, taking a dig on AAP, said that this “topiwali party” is now vying for control over religious affairs of the Sikhs which SAD would not tolerate at any cost.
CAPT CRITICISES BADAl FOR UNDERMINING SIKH INSTITUTIONS’ AUTHORITY
Hitting out at Chief Minister Badal over “subjugating” the authority of Akal Takht, Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh expressed concern over the “deteriorating” standard of education in the Government schools.
“Tell me what sort of Sikh you are,” Capt Amarinder asked Badal while pointing out how he had “subjugated” the people like the SGPC president and Akal Takht jathedar and made them works as his "personal subordinates".
Capt Amarinder also expressed grave concern over the “deteriorating” standard of education in the government schools saying that there was a “great chasm” when it came to education of the children belonging to the rich families and those belonging to the poor ones, which needs to be bridged.
The former Chief Minister, addressing a political conference, questioned even the Akali credentials of the Badals saying that the true Akalis were well meaning people unlike Badal, who only was concerned about his own and family's interests.
Questioning Badal’s claims about safeguarding the Sikhs’ interests, he pointed out that it was the Congress Government led by him in 2002 which had announced setting up of women and childcare hospital in memory of Mata Gujri.
But, he regretted that the Badal government did not complete it and had instead tried to “sell it off”, which was got stopped by Congress MlA Kuljeet Nagra by filing a public interest litigation in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Referring to the incidents of sacrilege at Bargari and the use of “brutal force” on the peaceful protesters there, the state Congress president said that such incidents reminded of the “Mughal atrocities” on the Sikhs.
“Punjab needs change and it cannot change till this government is not thrown out,” he said while appealing people to throw out this government to save Punjab.
Deputy leader of the Congress Party in the lok Sabha said: “The Badals had brought the state to the brink of bankruptcy with the treasury remaining closed for most of the time while they keep on building seven star hotels for themselves.”
Referring to the “alarming” increase in the number of suicides committed by farmers, he said: “The farmers are committing suicides because Badal's minister was responsible for supplying spurious seeds and pesticides to them.”
Capt Amarinder referred to the miserably "poor results" in the government schools where 80 per cent students had failed their exams.
He said on the one hand, there were children from rich families who study in the private schools and are scoring 98-99 per cent marks and get best jobs across India and even abroad, on the other hand, there were other children from the poor families who go to the government schools but are not able to score good.
“Majority of the children go to government schools and the standard of education needs to be improved there so that they get good jobs,” he said while regretting that
like other sectors, the Badals had failed the education sector also.
Referring to the “widespread unemployment”, he said that Punjab needed investment and industrialisation. “The government of its own cannot provide many jobs but it can formulate policies which will attract investment that will eventually lead to generation of jobs,” he said, adding, “but this government has failed to win the confidence of the investors”.
Speaking on the occasion former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said that the Congress party was completely united in Punjab under the leadership of Capt Amarinder.
She said that the countdown for the Akali-BJP government had started and people had made up their mind to return Congress to power.
Addressing the rally, the Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Charanjit Singh Channi said that Capt Amarinder was the tallest Sikh leader today who was admired by the people and they wanted to see him as the Chief Minister once again.
AAP TARGETS CAPT, BADAl
Taking on the veteran political parties head on, the Aam Aadmi Party came down heavily on the SAD and the Congress.
The party was in more attacking mood with the former Congress MlA Sukhpal Khaira by its side, besides the former Akali MlA Jagtar Singh Rajla, who joined AAP on Sunday.
Former Samana legislator Rajla was considered to be Capt Amarinder loyalist. He had joined the Congress in 2009, after representing SAD in the assembly from 1997 to 2002.
He had accused Capt Amarinder for ignoring him. After Sukhpal Singh Khaira, he is the second prominent leader this week to desert the Congress for the Aam Aadmi Party.
AAP state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur, while addressing the party’s political conference, minced no words to compare Chief Minister Badal with Aurangzeb.
Party’s coordinator Durgesh Pathak targeted the state Agriculture Minister Tota Singh for his alleged involvement in the pesticide scam.
New entrant in the party, Sukhpal Khaira, accused Badal and Capt Amarinder for being in league with each other.
Other than party’s state leaders, actress-turned-politician Gul Panag, who was AAP candidate for Chandigarh lok Sabha seat in 2014 polls, was also present along with party’s state affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh, MPs Bhagwant Mann, Prof Sadhu Singh, among others.