Farmers Movement Archive

BJP launches Punjab poll campaign, promises to free state of drug, sand mafias

Chandigarh The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday launched its campaign for 2022 state assembly polls in Punjab with the ‘Nava Punjab, BJP De Naal’ (New Punjab is with the BJP) slogan, promising to eradicate drug and sand mafias. Before launch, a ‘paath’ (recitation) of the Sukhmani Sahib was held at the party’s state headquarters in the city to commemorate the 400th birth anniversary of the ninth Sikh master Guru Tegh Bahadur. Union cabinet minister for jal shakti and election in-charge of the party for Punjab, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, launched the campaign. In an exercise, largely seen as perception management, the BJP got a large number of its Sikh leaders to attend the launch. Later, the party machinery ensured that pictures of these leaders were widely circulated to indicate its presence in the Sikh community. For almost a year, however, there has been a huge backlash, on the ground, against the party from the community for the revocation of farm laws.Addressing a press conference later, Shekhawat said the BJP will give citizens a drug-free and mining mafia free Punjab. “The BJP will contest on all 117 assembly seats. Punjabis are disgruntled with the miserable performance of the Akalis, the Congress and the AAP and these parties will be routed,” the Union minister said. On the farm stir, he said, “Eleven rounds of talks have been held with the farm unions and the government took the extra step of stalling the laws for 18 months. Our initiative to address the issue can never be doubted. Our doors are always open.” He evaded comment on the party’s response if the farm unions escalated their stir, and the possibility of any alliance with former chief minister Capt Amarinder’s new party, when launched. ‘MODI GOVT HAS ACHIEVED A LOT FOR PUNJAB’He added that ensuring justice for 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims through a SIT; the abolition of a blacklist of Sikhs allowing them to reconnect to families; the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor; the removal of GST on items meant for langar at the Golden Temple; Bathinda AIIMS and the Amritsar IIM as achievements of the Modi government for Punjab and the Sikh community. On the Centre’s decision to increase the territorial jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Punjab, he said, “Few political parties are saying that it is an attack on our federal structure. If the earlier jurisdiction of 15km was not an attack on the federal structure, how is 45km an attack?” He added that national security can never be compromised, with the Centre aware of the challenges of drug smuggling and drones carrying weapons that the border state faced. The co-incharges for Punjab polls Union urban development and petroleum minister, Hardeep Singh Puri; Union minister of state for foreign affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi, and Lok Sabha MP from Gujarat, Vinod Chawra, were also present. Puri said the PM has special affection and love for Punjab, particularly for the Sikh community. Later, Puri and Shekhawat held meetings with constituency in-charges. BJP’s Punjab affairs in-charge Dushyant Gautam; national general secretary Tarun Chugh; Union minister of state and Hoshiarpur MP Som Parkash and National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairman Vijay Sampla also attended the launch.

Hindustan Times

29-10-2021

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