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Punjab gets a bloodbath as
politicos pollute grassroot ballotting
Three people and democracy dead, SAD-BJP alliance in tatters,
law
and order just a rumour in Punjab
WSN Bureau
CHANDIGARH: Tom-tommed
by Indian nation state as the paragon of grassroots level democracy,
and often a staid affair in Punjab, the elections to panchayat
samities and zila parishads on May 12 in the state saw unprecedented
violence, firing, incidents of arson and ruling alliance partners
Akali Dal and BJP activists attacking each other with both swords
and words (when not using guns).
By the end of
the day, three people lay dead, hundreds were injured, many in
critical condition in hospital, and democracy was reduced to a
laughable rumour.
Akalis and BJP
leaders and activists fought such bitter battles during the run up
to the elections on the fateful day that the fact that Congress is
the Opposition party almost went unnoticed.
The BJP
immediately said it wanted to discuss the entire gamut of its
relationship with the Akalis, this when Parkash Singh Badal is not
tired of underlining his "we are like two brothers" line when it
comes to the alliance with the RSS-BJP, even when the saffron party
does not consider the Sikhs a separate nation, or even a separate
religion and BJP president L K Advani writes in his book that
Sikhism was founded to defend Hinduism. Manoranjan Kalia, clearly
the second most important minister in
Punjab and the
man who leads the BJP charge in the government, slammed the Akalis.
Clashes between
Akali and BJP workers and leaders left even three senior BJP
leaders, including one having the status of a minister of state, at
Burj Gill injured. Burj Gill is a village in Rampura Phul in
Bathinda. The BJP leaders called the incident and other such clashes
as "murder of democracy", conveniently thinking that they were
blaming the Akalis for it and ignoring the hard fact that it was the
Akali Dal-BJP government under whose tutelage the elections were
being conducted. The BJP has quickly convened a meeting of the core
group of the party in
Chandigarh in
the next few hours.
"Murder
of democracy" was also the tune belted out by Rajinder Kaur Bhattal,
the leader of the opposition and a former CM herself, accused by her
partymate and fellow former CM Amarinder Singh of being
hand-in-glove with the Badals. Bhattal said she will be meeting the
Governor to ask him to recommend President's Rule in
Punjab. This, in
India, means putting the state directly under the Centre. Leaders in
India are prone to blindly ask for Governor's Rule at the drop of a
hat without understanding that they are asking for ending the
democratic structure and strengthening the centralised power
structure.
Incidents of
clashes were in scores. In Tarn Taran, shots rang out as SAD
legislator Harmeet Singh Sandhu and Tarn Taran BJP mandal president
Prabhjot Singh Rattol clashed at Daburji in the district. Nine BJP
workers, including BJP MLA Anil Joshi were injured as were four SAD
workers. For good measure, the car of the BJP lawmaker was burnt in
the melee. Nine other vehicles were damaged.
Ajnala witnessed
score odd workers awashed in blood and health minister and outspoken
BJP leader Laxmi Kanta Chawla accused Akali legislator Amarpal Singh
Bonny of instigating the fighting.
In Khadoor
Sahib, Congress worker Gurjant Singh (40) was killed while three
others were injured when Akali workers, including SAD block samiti
candidate Ranjit Singh, allegedly attacked them with sharp-edged
weapons. In Moga, Congressman Jaswinder Singh ‘Kuku’ shot a SAD
worker in the chest at Fatehgarh Kortana polling station. The
victim, now in civil hospital at Moga, is in a serious condition.
Political
activists more adamant on stamping their 'kabza' (hold) on the state
and less bothered about the democratic exercise roamed the
countryside in vehicles loaded with swords and other sharp edged
weapons, flaunting guns, pistols, revolvers, distributing money to
buy promises of votes, blocking highways and railway tracks as any
semblance of governance went missing for a day dedicated to
grassroots democracy.
A 65-year-old
Akali worker Shamsher Singh was killed at Doom Cherri in Ropar
district when Akali Dal's block samiti candidate Harminder Singh
Dimpy was attacked by some Congress workers and Shamsher tried to
shield Dimpy. He died at Morinda civil hospital, but police merely
registered a case of culpable homicide.
An Akali worker
Dhanwant Singh fired at a Congress worker Bahadur Singh, killing him
in Bhagwanpura village in
Patiala
district.
In CM Parkash
Singh Badal's own bastion of Lambi, law and order seemed to have
taken a long leave. Scuffles, firing, booth capturing and rigging
marked the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections. Most of the
violence in this area was engineered clearly by Akali activists and
goons. Scenes in Gidderbaha, Malout and Muktsar were no different
and lumpen youth could be seen carrying swords, sticks and revolvers
as the administrative machinery, election staff and police remained
mute spectators.
Congress leader
Mahesh Inder Singh Badal, an arch rival of the CM and a close kin,
was attacked along with Lambi Zila Parishad member Gursewak Singh.
In Tohra
village, booth capturing was done in broad daylight. Rigging was
also reported from Sahiwal village in Tohra zone where Harinderpal
Singh Tohra, son of former minister Harmail Singh Tohra (son-in-law
of late Gurcharan Singh Tohra) was fighting the elections on the SAD
ticket.
Before the sun
set on the blood soaked day, Punjab Congress asked the Election
Commission to postpone declaration of results of the all local body
elections till May 23 in view of the byelection to be held in the
Amritsar
(South) constituency on May 22.
But as for the
health of democracy at the grassroots level in
Punjab, a visit
to the many hospitals across the state would give ample indications
where dozens of men and women are nursing their wounds trying to win
the polls for political masters for whom a victory is a must to
underline their determination to serve the people. So what if a few
people are eliminated in the venture and definition of democracy is
hung upside down? Of the leaders, By the leaders, For the leaders.
At the cost of the people and principles.
14
May,
2008
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