Change without changing the system is meaningless in Punjab that has turned into auction house going by the bids

 

Is Punjab for sale going by the offers to voters that have been made by political parties?

 

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

 

Punjab that witnessed more than a decade long militant political struggle in eighties and a successful agrarian struggle last year that attracted global attraction seems to have turned suddenly apolitical in the run up to the electoral battle.

This is the summing up for the electoral narrative that characterise the Assembly elections for which the polling is scheduled for February 20 with just hours to go.

The political formations have made their bids taking for guaranteed that the voters in this border state are for sale. Paradoxically, this is one state whose religio-political dynamics is different from all other states but this is for the first time that this characteristic has been blurred. It is the open market that has taken over.

If one political party offered Rs. 1000 to women as monthly assistance, another has raised the bid to Rs. 1100 with eight gas cylinders per annum. One can’t say what would happen when gas pipelines are laid in the state like in Chandigarh.

The parties that have offered the bids are the ruling Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Akali Dal-BSP alliance, the combine led by the BJP. The Sanyukt Samaj Morcha is also in the fray.

At the political level, these parties have ceased to be different from each other.

It is not without reason that the mafias that used to be talked about in 2017 continue to be part of the narrative in 2022.

The unprecedented agrarian struggle that had brought about a new awakening in the rural society is not even being talked about.

The stakes for the Congress, and also the BJP in turn, are very high.

The Congress can hope for revival at the national level and Rahul Gandhi can establish himself in case the party in Punjab succeeds in retaining respectable space. The BJP, for this very reason, would  see to it that this party gets decimated. The BJP led alliance is not at all in any position to gain much.

The way the BJP leadership at the highest level is giving so much importance is not without reason. The BJP has never been an effective political formation at its own in Punjab and the party has been playing second fiddle to the Akali Dal since 1997 and this alliance broke last year under pressure from the agrarian struggle. The Sangh Parivar seems to have some long term strategy.

Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has targeted mainly the Congress and the AAP in his speeches.

What is lacking in the entire narrative is as to how the degenerated  and brazenly corrupt system is to be rejuvenated to make it people oriented.

Political arrogance has become part of the ruling elite culture.

The political leaders eat at the houses of the poor and play with the kids or are seen sitting at some dhabas only during the elections. They distance themselves from the people within a minute of coming into power. This is part of degeneration.

The thrust during the last two decades has been on privatisation. Now the emphasis is returning to health and education.

What is not being talked about is that no party has assured that the family members of the leaders would not get preferential jobs or sand mines. This includes political appointments.

No party talks of participatory democracy or consensus based policy decisions.

No party talks of the common man being treated with dignity.

Why should people in cities and villages continue to talk of paved streets and drainage in this otherwise once the most advanced state in the country? Even clean potable water is not available.

The political parties talk of VIKAAS.

The people elect their representatives not to make money but focus on Vikas.

Why should there be so many categories of school teachers and that too on contract?

The entire system needs rejuvenation and none of the political formations has given any credible assurance.

The political parties seem to have taken for guaranteed that Punjab is for sale.

Any change without changing the system would be meaningless.