Aam Aadmi Party won the trust of Punjab, now it’s turn to live up to the expectations
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will be formed in Punjab. This is a big victory for Arvind Kejriwal. But how did this happen? What was the promise made by AAP to the people of Punjab? And what are the challenges ahead in the governance of Punjab? These are some of the questions that need to be answered. Congress has done its own damage by its internal strife. At the same time, farmers were angry with the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance regarding agricultural laws. Because of this, the Aam Aadmi Party overtook them.
AAP had already said that if they win, they will make a Sikh chief minister. He stayed away from the hefty funding of NRIs, which could prove to be a double-edged sword for him later on. The links of these NRIs may be linked to the radical Khalistan group which continues its activities from Canada, US and UK. Kejriwal was so smart that instead of getting entangled in other issues, he kept his entire focus on election strategy. That’s why he talked about bringing here his Delhi model which emphasizes on education, health and good governance.
Heavy victory of AAP
This is what the young people of Punjab want to hear. But AAP will have to deal with a state badly hit by huge financial losses here. AAP had won 20 of Punjab’s 117 seats in 2017, far behind the Congress, which won 77 seats then. A total of 59 seats are needed to get a majority in the Punjab state assembly. This time the voters of Punjab were disappointed and tired of the internal strife within the Congress, Amarinder Singh’s founding of a new party and the Shiromani Akali Dal, which was facing allegations of corruption.
Elections are fought on the basis of needs first and ideology comes second. AAP satisfied the voters of Punjab by promising to provide good health and education facilities in Punjab like the Delhi model. AAP has so far met the needs of the urban population of the Union Territory of Delhi to a great extent. Now dealing with the majority rural electorate in Punjab will be a new challenge for him.
AAP promised many freebies and concessions to Punjabi voters. But now that he has won, he will need to adopt a different mindset. Because making a promise is one thing and fulfilling it is another. The Delhi model of development promoted by Kejriwal was reflected in Punjab, which is grappling with unemployment, drugs, inflation, poor health and education infrastructure.
“Delhi Model” Is Yet To Be Tested By Punjabi People
AAP had fixed its election agenda while the rest of the parties remained behind. The packages offered by them promised world class schools and hospitals at affordable rates; Emphasized on diversification of agriculture with minimum support price for fruits and vegetables. The cases were ignored by the AAP due to the threat of sacrilege and extremism. All his emphasis was on development. Cases like unemployment, illegal sand mining, drug mafia, liquor mafia, transport mafia, cable mafia, farmers’ distress, corruption and the increasing debt of the state are directly related to the voters. AAP mainly focused on two issues – education and illegal sand mining. Arvind Kejriwal said that Punjab can earn Rs 20,000 crore by stopping illegal sand mining.
He claimed that there are serious allegations of direct involvement of Congress MLAs, ministers and their close aides, including the Chief Minister, in illegal sand mining. Kejriwal said that the money obtained by stopping illegal sand mining can be used for the betterment of the people. He promised that once the AAP government is formed in Punjab, all kinds of mafia including illegal sand mining will be wiped out. We got to know what AAP promised to the voters of Punjab and what was the reaction of the voters to it. Now, AAP needs to think about the challenges it will face in meeting them.
The truth is that the “Delhi model” is yet to be tested by Punjabis. Both education and health facilities are crumbling here. Hospitals which are located at some distance from the villages do not have adequate facilities for treatment. Punjab is overall an agricultural state, with more than 50,000 sq km of rural areas under agriculture. At least 62 percent of Punjab’s voters live in these areas. It is a farmer-oriented state with serious agricultural issues. It is not so easy to solve these issues, due to which both Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal distanced themselves from it. The farmers of the state are now expecting from AAP.
AAP worked quietly but effectively in rural areas
The anti-incumbency issue played a big role in the election. Important issues like education, health, infrastructure of better basic facilities for the people were ignored here. A very important reason was the absence of a third option. Earlier the voters were forced to keep swinging between the SAD and the Congress. He did not give anything new to the public. AAP came and made up for the lack of a third option. Angered by not getting a Rajya Sabha ticket, former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas raised the issue of Khalistan while reversing Kejriwal.
Those watching Punjab said that this was done at the behest of the BJP. Kejriwal got upset for some time. But he handled it well by talking about his Delhi rule. Small street gatherings took place as large election rallies were banned due to COVID restrictions. AAP worked quietly but effectively in rural areas. And Kejriwal was also associated with small industries in semi-urban areas.
Kejriwal kept insisting that he was an outsider who wanted to work in Punjab for the betterment of the state. AAP leader Bhagwant Mann, who heads the AAP’s Punjab unit, and is a two-time MP from Sangrur parliamentary constituency, is the party’s chief ministerial face. Mann rose rapidly in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by defeating Shiromani Akali Dal veteran and former Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. Mann is a well-known Punjabi comedian and actor, and now it will be a big challenge for him to stand the test of voters who believe in his party.
