The politics over the farm laws initiated by the Centre has given a new lease of life to Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, who by virtue of his exceptional leadership and political skills, has emerged as the undisputed leader of the state. In fact, the former soldier and erstwhile royal of the Patiala family, is being viewed, both by his supporters and opponents, as the Maharaja of Punjab, given the kind of backing he has received on the bills passed by the state Assembly to counter the Central legislation.
Legally, the Union government is on a firmer footing regarding the farm laws, but politically, it is the Chief Minister, who has reaped the dividends. Thus, on Wednesday, when the Punjab MLAs and leaders descend on the Rashtrapati Bhavan, seeking the President’s intervention, Amarinder Singh certainly would be in the forefront, ensuring his extended political innings.
It is well known that the Congress high command has been looking for a possible successor to the CM, who during the 2017 Assembly campaign, had declared that this would be his last election. Significantly, Amarinder had also announced that he would, in consultation with the party leadership, name his successor during his final year in office. However, politics has taken a dramatic turn and the opposition to the Central farm laws has facilitated Amarinder to bounce back once again on the centre-stage. Prior to this, complaints against him had been piling up at the AICC headquarters—where many MLAs and party activists accused him of being a prisoner of his coterie—not granting time to those who wished to meet him. It was alleged that unlike his first term between 2002 and 2007, when he was accessible, he had allowed bureaucrats and his favourites to call the shots at the cost of the party workers.
There was some truth in these charges, since the majority of Congress MLAs had informally conveyed to the high command that they wanted a change. The party leadership, on its part, was assessing the complaints and appeared more inclined to intervene closer to the 2022 Assembly elections. The idea was to look at the Punjab political scenario beyond Amarinder, while promoting a set of younger leaders.
In this context, former cricketer, Navjot Singh Sidhu, was viewed as the possible contender, but the Captain did not succumb to pressure and stood his ground. When Harish Rawat was made the AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab, his brief was to appoint Sidhu as the Punjab PCC president, clearing the decks for him to be the successor-in-waiting. However, the possibility of Sidhu getting close to the hot seat united all other factions within the party, and even those who were openly criticising the Captain, began backing him, making it amply clear that under no circumstances would they accept Sidhu. This was the moment Amarinder had been waiting for, and he managed to regain his foothold since most party MLAs were not prepared to accept Sidhu.
According to veteran Punjab watchers, the Captain has changed his style of functioning, and has once again come out in the open to lead from the front. This seeming transformation does not imply that he is giving up his dependence on the bureaucracy, but it indicates that he was keeping his adversaries at bay. Recently, there was simmering tension between two top bureaucrats, but through his deft handling, the Captain managed to maintain a balance.
However, what he has been unable to do is to get a PCC chief of his choice to replace Sunil Jakhar, who, to begin with, was his nominee, but there has been a falling out due to various reasons. The CM’s suggestion to appoint Manish Tewari as PCC president was turned down and thus Jakhar may continue for some more time.
In the meanwhile, the perceptive and astute Captain is likely to propose the name of a Hindu leader as his possible deputy to end the power struggle amongst younger Jat Sikh claimants such as Sidhu, Manpreet Badal and Pratap Singh Bajwa.
It is a subject of speculation that he could elevate Brahm Mohindra, a seasoned leader, who could receive the nod due to his seniority. Two other Hindu leaders in the reckoning could be Vijay Inder Singla from Sangrur and Bharat Bhushan Ashu from Ludhiana. Therefore, the CM’s strategy would be to take away the option from the high command, having a person who does not in the future pose any threat to him as his second in command. Another likely development that could take place is that buoyant by his renewed popularity, the Chief Minister could opt for early elections to the Assembly—one year before they are scheduled. For this he would need the central leadership’s approval. Many of his supporters feel that it was the right time for the polls, since the Akalis were divided, with S.S. Dhindsa and Ranjit Singh Brahmpura forming their own party, Akali Dal (Democratic) and with the BJP and AAP being on the back foot because of the farm laws.
The Akalis, who were a formidable force to reckon with, have also been considerably weakened by the virtual absence of their primary leader, Parkash Singh Badal, who has handed the decision-making and party affairs to his son, Sukhbir Badal. The AAP is not as strong as it was in 2017. Amarinder sees it as his best chance to be anointed as the Maharaja of Punjab. Between us.