Akalis are losing support
By BK Chum
In this era of dynastic politics, changing of political loyalties by kith and kin of political families is not uncommon. But such floor crossings can favourably impact their parent parties electoral calculations only if the defecting kin have the potential of significantly influencing the voters. This happened when the Parkash Singh Badal’s nephew Manpreet Badal and his brother Gurdas Badal who have strong political base parted ways with the Badal family creating panic in the ruling father-son duo.
Will the defection of Malwinder Singh, brother of the Punjab PCC Chief Capt. Amarinder Singh to the Akali Dal bring about any significant change in the electoral fortunes of the two mainstream parties? Perhaps not. Malwinder is a political lightweight having no tested potential of influencing voters. His defection, however, exposes Parkash Singh’s Badal hypocritical stand on defections. Commenting on Manpreet’s leaving the Akali Dal, Badal in a recent interview with a prominent English Daily’s Chief Editor had said “I think the worst part in politics is defection which is like a betrayal of the people’s mandate……If somebody has defected from the party, whosoever he is, I have to fight him”. Now Badal himself was mainly instrumental in making Malwinder defect from his parent Congress.
The development, however, does not change the perception about the ruling Akali-BJP alliance’s dim electoral prospects as the Akali Dal’s main Sikh vote bank will be deeply split by the party rebels and People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Badal-led PPP-Left-Longowal Akali Dal Sanjha Morcha.
On the other hand, the damage to the Congress’s limited Sikh base by its rebels and the Sanjha Morcha will be comparatively less. The Congress will more than compensate its loss by gaining huge support of the urban voter. The BJP which had won a record number of 19 seats in 2007 because of the massive support of the urban voter has suffered a big setback. This will help the Congress score gains in urban areas.
A worrying development of Punjab’s electoral scenario is the spat between the ruling Akali leadership and the Election Commission. Perturbed by the Election Commission’s ordering transfers of many civil and police officers, the Chief Minister in a statement bemoaned “The manner in which the EC officials were taking their decisions and ordering the frequent transfers of officials is causing confusion about the lines of administrative control in the state. This can have negative impact on the morale and efficiency of the law enforcing machinery. And that can be dangerous for peace and law and order”.
In his telling rebuttal, Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi wrote to Badal saying his words could undermine electoral democracy. “We must not do anything at this juncture that can undermine election management and overall electoral democracy in the state of Punjab as well as the whole country”. Quraishi said “I am particularly disappointed that you have chosen to communicate with me and the Commission through the media rather than directly for which several channels are always available”.
Quraishi, a Financial Commissioner rank Haryana cadre IAS officer who, during his long stay in Chandigarh, also worked as Principal Secretary to the Badal’s family friend Om Parkash Chautala when he was Chief Minister is a known fair-minded, fearless and no-nonsense officer.
The main reason of the Akali leadership’s anger against the transfers of certain police and civil officers is that the EC’s steps would check any large scale misuse of the Government machinery, particularly the police, by Punjab’s ruling coterie as is feared by the opposition. Badal’s son Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal who holds Home portfolio has the dubious record of rigging Punjab’s local bodies elections and using bullying tactics against some of Manpreet’s loyalists making them quit the PPP.
In a noticeable development, the government had, on the eve of the polls, tried to please police personnel by announcing concessions and incentives. The opposition feared that the ruling leadership would rig the polls with the help of the police. Before his on-the-poll eve retirement, Punjab DGP P.S.Gill who is Akali candidate from Moga, had ordered out-of-turn promotions of 20 police officials posted in Moga. The EC ordered their transfer out of Moga. Quraishi was not wrong when he said Badal’s words against EC ordering civil and police officials could undermine ‘democracy’ of the Badals version.
The Akalis hopes suffered another setback when Anna Hazare Team abandoned its plan to campaign against the Congress in the poll-bound five states, including Punjab. If the Akalis thought that Anna’s visit would have bolstered their party’s electoral prospects, they were living in a make-believe world. In Punjab, the Anna Team would have faced embarrassing questions on backing Punjab’s corruption-hit ruling alliance. Secondly, although Anna’s cause of fighting corruption is being praiseworthy and has evoked massive support, his movement has suffered a setback for three reasons: (1) The perception that it is trying to impose street democracy over Parliamentary democracy; (2) Political ambitions of some of the Team Anna’s key members and involvement of some of them in tax evasion cases; (3) The movement acquiring political dimensions aimed only against the Congress while corruption is rampant in most states, particularly the BJP-ruled Karnataka and Mayawati-ruled UP. Yoga Guru Ramdev’s anti-corruption crusade which had also evoked wide support received an ignominious setback because he used the Yoga science to promote his vested business interests and for indulgence in politics.
The latest Punjab happenings are an indication of the desperation that seems to have gripped the ruling Akali-BJP leaderships. This is also reflected in Badal’s recent speeches. Addressing an election meeting at Lambi on January 4, he asked voters “to make me Chief Minister again”.
One feels sorry for Badal as his enviable image created by his amiable nature, life-long political career and fighting for peoples causes which had earned him masses support is now losing its sheen in his sunset years mainly due to his ‘putter moh’ and to ensure that Sukhbir is crowned as Chief Minister in his life time. (IPA)