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Raillas’ hit Punjab for acres of
debate
Akalis,
Congress usher in competitive
WSN Bureau
 PUNJAB’S
DUSTY MALWA: Mega is a key word these days in Punjab. Mega projects,
mega corruption and now mega rallies. With political debate dying a
mega death and polity reduced to getting together mega crowds, Punjab
witnessed this past week politicians discussing from megaphones the
rally in terms of acres of land covered by make-shift canopies, or
the number of buses that came from a particular town. The ruling
Congress and the opposition Akali Dal both made claims of a million
men march, and each said victory was assured.
The debate of
course was not just defeated, but altogether killed.
Malwa’s drinking
water is killing its people, many villages are returning legendary
figures of cancer, female foeticide is threatening to tear apart the
society, its lands are parched near the tail-ends of little water
brooks, the groundwater table is plunging fast and cases of HIV are
on the rise. Everything is going in the wrong direction, but the
people were told by the Congress how much of the wonderful
development had happened under Chief Minister Amarinder Singh while
the Akalis narrated how they would bring about heaven to the
doorstep of the poor.”
Ironically, both
sides were marking the birthday of the same man, Prakash Singh Badal,
who wants to dislodge Amarinder Singh from Chief Ministership for
the most innocent reason that he himself wants to bring about mega
development. The Akalis talked about food for the poor: Atta for Rs
4 per kg, dal for Rs 20 per kg. New health insurance scheme.
Doubling free power to dalits. More in shagun schemes, more as
old-age pension.
This is the
taste of things to come. Debate on the Akali side hasn’t moved
beyond populist programs, and Congress’ plans haven’t moved beyond
getting land from farmers to be given to industrialists. Punjab
is in for some mega troubles.
Congress set a
new precedent by holding the jamboree right inside Badal’s heartland
— the village Badal. “We wanted to celebrate his birthday,” was
Amarinder Singh’s oh-so-innocent reason. Badal of course had plans
to hold the b’day mela at Ajitwal in Moga.
Progress was
clearly visible, if only you would stop looking at the people and
raise your vision higher. A mechanical hang glider showering paper
buntings upon the Congress’ crowd, a Sukhbir Singh Badal surveying
the crowds at the rival rally from a helicopter, the Youth Akali Dal
presenting a Rs 2.5 crore cheque to Badal, (anyone who thought sonny
Sukhbir presenting a cheque to papa Badal could allude to nepotism
in party should go read Adam Bellow), a TV channel closely
identified with the Congress beaming live coverage of the rally with
unabashedly sycophantic commentary to boot, thousands of private
vehicles commandeered to ferry people to the rallies. And Punjab’s
cultural program presenters like Pammi Bai adding to the color.
“‘Nahi reesan mere Punjab
diyan’ (There is no place like Punjab),” he
said. There wasn’t on December 8.
The political
platter was so arranged that the media pundits could call it
“Badal’s charisma” or “Amarinder’s crowd pulling power” as per their
convenience. “Amarinder has carried the battle into Badal’s bastion”
could be a pedestrian predictable headline that any
Charlie-turned-subeditor would give and any self-respecting editor
would strike off. Many turned Charlies last week. No one struck it
off.
Charges were
traded and allegations leveled freely. Both sides were sizing each
other up before the final showdown, the Assembly polls. Akali Dal
had lined up former Prime Ministerial wonder I K Gujral (Didn’t
everyone wonder when he became PM?), future prime ministerial
hopeful L.K.Advani (he makes loh purash suddenly sound iron-ical),
the recently anointed icon of morality among youthful leadership
Navjot Singh Sidhu, paragon of intellectual leadership and honesty
in public life Om Prakash Chautala and ‘guess all-no prizes’ heir
apparent Sukhbir Singh Badal. BJP president Rajnath Singh seemed
tagged with ‘also participated’ but someone has to fill in that slot
for the scribes in any case.
The Hon’ble CM
was being described a lahoo-peena (blood sucking) while the
thrice-CM and ‘Respected Leader of the Opposition’ was addressed as
corrupt leader of goondas and luteras. Who knows who is right? Maybe
both are. Media reported that the stage at many moments seemed like
giving way. Both have often challenged each other for an open public
debate from the same stage. At what stage will that be possible?
Pillars of civil society in Punjab
watch from the sidelines as the mega show continues. “Yeh rally nahi,
yeh railla hai,” Advani thundered at Ajitwal, yielding a quote no
Charlie missed. Malwa’s contribution to Punjab
polity will go down as a masculine semantic addition to our culture
– Mega Public Raillas!
13 December, 2006
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