The making of AAP revolution in Punjab, Badal clan and Capt Amarinder contributed more than Kejriwal

By Satinder Bains
CHANDIGARH: Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Convener and Delhi Chief Minister was a non-entity in Punjab poltics till about a six months back. How he became a game changer of 2017 assembly elections? Was it AAP victory in Delhi and good performance of its government that brought AAP to Punjab? Not at all. It was bad governance, rampant corruption, arrogance, atrocities on dalits and poor and bad mouthing by Badal clan and Capt Amarinder Singh against AAP leaders which played major role in stirring a revolution, an unoprecedented saga in Punjab’s political history.

In several previous elections, anti-incumbency played its role but there might be something extra which snowballed the anger of people into an revolution of the proposition of freedom struggle. The revolution on surface seemed against Badal family alone but in beneath it was an upsurge against a rotten and corrupt feudal system which snatched all the basic rights of common people and violated their human rights.

Expect few politically labelled families, almost every person of Punjab, irrespective of religion and caste identity, had went through an unending ordeal for years that started with the Capt Amarinder Singh Government in 2002. Liquor and drug mafia had made its first presence in Punjab during Amarinder Government with system of allotment vends to groups. At that time Jagdish Singh Garcha who was SAD leader and cabinet minister was first person to control the liquor trade in Ludhiana district. Known as Garcha Group, they monopolized the trade and many liquor contractors in Ludhiana and adjoining districts were thrown out from business. Adesh Partap Singh Kairon had reportedly brought Ponty Chadha group to counter Garcha in 2001 on the last year of SAD-BJ- government term. In 2002 Capt Amarinder Singh government was formed.

It was during Capt Amarinder’s time when liquor contractors aligned to Congress formed a syndicate and huge money was invested in transport and real estate business largely by Congress leaders. The drugs were though always present in Punjab but its local districbution network was buuilld during Capt Amarinder Si9ngh government by a MLA of Amritsar who is known for his links across the border.

In 2007 when SAD-BJP government took over, Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, son-in-law of infamous chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was made the excise and Taxation minister who changed the rules of game and brought Ponty Chadha group to monopolize the liquor trade. Kairon allotted whole liquor business to Ponty Chadha group and anybody left out was ordered to follow the dictat of Chadha.s. Prior to monopoly of liquor trade, the individual vends were allotted and it was source of income for many families.

The liquor mafia had its control over political eastablishment and started interfering in police and civil administrations which disturbed the normal governance and sufferings of common people srarted.

But during the times of Sukhbir Singh Badal when he controlled the government from 2012 on ward, the liquor trade became his family business, now mostly controlled by his brother in law the most infamous Bikram Singh Majitha and his coterie. Majithia and Sukhbir then commercially organised the liquor and drug trade with the help of international smugglers living in Canada and Pakistan. Drugs lured youth and generated money for Badal family. Then it was illegal mining which brought wind fall for Majithia and Badal families. The cocktail of ill gotten money with absolute power made Sukhbir-Majithia combination deadly for people of Punjab.

People of Punjab had no option except for tolerating whole lot of idiots. People of Punjab were waiting to change the government in 2012 but they failed then came 2017. The Congress was the only hope for people in 2012 and till the end of 2015. The things started changing after AAP came to power in Delhi in 2015 but it was not seen as any threat to Punjab by two traditional parties SAD and Congress(BJP is insignificant). Both Badal and Capt Amariner Singh were perhaps over confident to retain power among them. Badal many times during press conferences ridiculed AAP and Kejriwal without realising that he would be biggest threat to his party in 2017. In my view AAP started making roots in Punjab in beginning of 2016. SAD and Congress only waked up when AAP had built basic party structure in Punjab and created a cadre for them. It baffled bith SAD and Congress to an extent that they concocted false allegations about AAP instead of improving the governance and role of opposition respectively. In one voice Badal and company and Capt Amarinder Singh started vilification campaign which became the turning point.

The anger against eastablisment created and outrage when Sukhbir Badal and Capt Amarinder alleged that AAP leaders from Delhi of moral turpitude and blamed then for raping 500 Punjab girls. Everybody wanted to know where are these 500 girls who were raped about whom only these two leaders are aware. The allegations found no takers since character of both these leaders was already in public domain. This incident exposed the shallowness of Sukhbir and Capt Amarinder and their collusion.

After that incident both Sukhbir and Capt Amarinder continued to level more filmsy allegations agianst AAP and continued to lose their credibility in public. Called them outsiders, blamed the NRI supporters as terrorists, local supportes as naxalites and also linked them with ISI of Pakistan.

AAP cashed upon moral bankruptcy of SAD and Congress leaders. Sukhbir Badal committed blunder of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, falsely implicating AAP MLA in Quran sharif case, bomb blast in Maur and finally put the whole Shiromani Akali Dal at stake by taking support of Dera Sacha Sauda. It proved last nail in SAD coffin also shared by BJP. Punjab assembly elections of 2017 would be a most readable lesson of history for future generations.