Winds of political change blowing across the nation in the beginning of 2014 did not leave Punjab unaffected. On the political front, it eroded the well-cemented bonding between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and practically covered the Congress under the dust of oblivion. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) managed to catapult itself into the forefront in the lok Sabha elections with a surprise performance but was pushed back into the background soon after.
The year 2014 witnessed a sea change in the political equations in the state. On one hand, it witnessed AAP’s emergence in Punjab and on the other, it saw fall of the Congress. With the saffron party emerging strongest as ever with Modi tsunami sweeping entire state, fissures between the decade-old allies in Punjab, SAD and the BJP, became wider.
Drugs issue remained hot favourite for the political parties with the surfacing of names of many politicians, largely from the Akali Dal including Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia. In a knee-jerk reaction, the state government initiated several steps to check the ever-increasing drug menace in the state but to little effect. The year, that witnessed all political parties training guns at each other over the issue of drugs, will culminate with both the SAD and the BJP announcing to start a campaign against drugs while pointing their fingers at each other.
2014 General Elections in Punjab would be remembered for AAP’s emergence in the state by winning four seats out of 13 while facing a complete wipe-out in all other states, and BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley’s defeat in his first-ever lok Sabha election he contested from Amritsar by the hands of Congress’ senior leader Capt Amarinder Singh — the only silver lining to the Congress’ resounding defeat.
The Congress managed to secure just three seats, while SAD maintained its previous tally of four and BJP winning two seats out if three it contested in alliance with the SAD — with AAP damaging vote share of all major political parties.
SAD lEARNING FROM ITS MISTAKE
The party’s not-so-good performance during the general elections left the leadership scratching its head over issues that left its image dented. The emergence of AAP in Punjab and imminent danger of broken ties with the BJP compelled the party leadership to indulge not just in introspection but also to take remedial measures.
The fight against drug menace in the State was intensified with the police registering 10,213 FIRs and arresting 11,755 persons. Attempts were made to pacify BJP by constituting coordination committee of two parties to iron out the differences on various issues emerged between the two including drugs, property tax, problems faced by traders and industrialists, SAD’s halqa in-charges, VAT refund, among others.
learning lessons from its past mistakes, SAD held brain-storming sessions with all sections of society to find the reasons for its disappointing performance in lok Sabha polls. As corrective measures, it done away with the system of halqa in-charges, introduced various Government reforms, directed officers to remain present in their offices during official timings, simplifying property tax, among other decisions. Major among them is adopting aggressive mode in combating drug menace. On one hand, where the de-addiction facilities were increased, the supply chain was cut leading to unavailability of drugs in the State.
BJP EMERGING STRONGER
Buoyed by its success, not only in Punjab but also across the nation, the saffron brigade became more assertive, claiming its “rightful” position in the alliance — in which it was made to play second fiddle till now. BJP was the only party in Punjab which remained unaffected with AAP coming into the state political scene, while increasing its seat tally and also the vote share.
Post general elections, the BJP leaders came out in open to express their resentment against the SAD-led state government. Besides Sidhu couple, senior BJP leaders including Balram ji Dass Tandon, Shanta Kumar, laxmi Kanta Chawla, and even cabinet minister including Anil Joshi made public their unhappiness with the functioning of Akali Dal.
BJP Ministers also blamed SAD of taking important government decisions on its own without considering the BJP’s viewpoint. Now strengthening its base in the State, the party has started a mega membership drive focussing on the unexplored territories including rural areas, backward sections. Wooing SC community having around 32 per cent population in State, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inducted Vijay Sampla in his cabinet.
RIFT BETWEEN AKAlI-BJP
low performance in 2014 polls, alleged involvement of SAD leaders in drugs mafia, BJP following victory-path, among other things resulted in growing differences between the two alliance partners. The blame-game between the two started after the coalition managed to bag just six parliamentary seats out of 13 in the state. Things became worse after the SAD decided to join hands with the Indian National lok Dal citing “family ties” during Haryana assembly polls and campaigned against the BJP.
BJP’s clear majority in the neighbouring Haryana, coupled with a win in Maharashtra sans its old ally Shiv Sena, sent jitters in the SAD camp. Speculations were rife that BJP may also part ways with the SAD, just like it did in Shiv Sena, in Punjab too, and go for next Assembly polls in 2017 alone.
What is more, BJP leadership also mount pressure on the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to ask his Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Avinash Chander to put in their papers on moral grounds, for their alleged involvement in the drug case. Although the Badals managed to secure a cabinet berth for Badal bahu, Harsimrat, ignoring senior leaders, the state government hardly got any solace as the Central Government turned down its pleas after plea for financial assistance.
DRUGS TAKING TOll ON MAJITHIA
Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia was at the centre of the drug controversy throughout the year. Ever since cop-turned-drug lord Jagdish Bhola named Majithia to be the “kingpin” of drug racket in the state, opposition has been seeking his resignation, and transferring the sensitive matter to the central probe agency, CBI.
The BJP blamed him for Jailtey’s defeat from Amritsar parliamentary constituency as Capt Amarinder had all along point finger at Majithia for harbouring “Akali goons” and supporting drug traffickers. After Congress, SAD’s ally, the BJP, too demanded Majithia’s resignation from the cabinet. It was alleged that the SAD leadership left no stone unturned to save Majithia, which had always maintained that he could not resign in the absence of evidence. Only recently, the Enforcement Directorate has summoned Majithia to appear before him.
DRUGS: A MAJOR ISSUE
Right from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio programme, to Amir Khan in his television show ‘Satyamev Jayate’, the drug issue remained on the hot seat all through the year. Right from the elections, to the last day of the year, it was blame-game, concern, introspection, and some action on the issue of drugs.
As the Congress is blaming the SAD for patronising drug mafia in the State, it was joined by the BJP, though not naming the SAD openely. It has decided to start a campaign against drugs from Amritsar, to be launched by BJP national president Amit Shah on January 12. Akali Dal, on the other hand, had blamed the Border Security Force for “failing to curb the smuggling of heroin into Punjab through the Afghanistan-Pakistan route”. Badal and his deputy son Sukhbir Badal had written letters to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister in this resoect. The party has also decided to hold protests on January 5 against the BSF in the state’s border belt of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Ferozepur districts — just a week ahead of Amit Shah’s rally in Amritsar against drugs on January 12.
FIGHT FOR SUPREMACY IN CONGRESS
Nothing really changed for the Congress party in 2014. Despite a call from Rahul Gandhi to the warring party memebers to hoist a white flag, the infighting and battle for supremacy between Caot Amarinder and State Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa continued throughout the year.
Be it the list of PPCC office bearers, or the drugs issue in the state, the Capt and the Bajwa group continued to be at loggerheads with eachother. The year was rife with speculation on the change of guard in the party especially after the party’s poor perfromnace in 2014 elections, and Bajwa’s failure to defend even his own seat.
Time and again, reports surfaced in reins being handed over to Capt Amarinder but Bajwa remained in the saddle. Capt camp intensified its exercise to demolish Bajwa’s image. Reports were that a sction of senior Congress leaders had met the party high command seeking Bajwa’s expulsion. Year end saw contemplation by some party members to switch sides amidst rumours of BJP planning go solo in Punjab. But, the party did not really witness a shift of its members.