Punjab Speaks: ‘Cloud of despair hangs over Lok Sabha poll’
Image credit Bhawna Malik
Punjab braces for Lok Sabha elections amid despair
By Bhawna Malik
Chandigarh, April 26: Agitating farmers continue to protest outside homes and offices of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Punjab. With the Lok Sabha elections due on the June 1, farmers are staging dharna outside residences and offices of several BJP leaders in Punjab, including Sunil Jhakar, the state unit chief of the party.
Farmer leaders claimed that 23 toll plazas in the 13 districts of the state were toll free. In the five districts of South-west Punjab, sit-ins were held outside houses and offices of BJP leaders comprising Fazilka, Ferozpur, Muktsar, Moga and Mansa.
State president of a BKU (Dakaunda) faction Buta Singh Burjgill said that the top leaders of the SKM (Sanyukt Kisan Morcha), at Kisan Bhawan in Chandigarh, will discuss further course of action.
State general secretary of the Dhaner faction of the BKU (Dakaunda), Harnek Mehma, said that Dhaner faction, a member of SKM, also held protests outside the residences of former Punjab minister from Fazilka, Surjit Jayani and the BJP National executive member from Ferozpur Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi.
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In Jalandhar, the protest was led outside the residence of the BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia. The rail roko protest at the Shambhu railway station near Rajpura by the farmers also continues.
The farmers are demanding the release of three fellow protestors – Anish Khatkar, Navdeep Singh and Gurkirat Singh — arrested in February and March by the Haryana Police.
The BJP candidates Preneet Kaur from Patiala, Hans Raj Hans from Faridkot, Taranjit Singh Sandhu from Amritsar, and Dinesh Kumar, the Gurdaspur candidate, faced severe protests by farmers. Is Punjab at the crossroads?
All these concerns find place in the analysis of Prof. Dr Rajinder Pal Singh Brar, who is an educationist and a political analyst from Patiala. Sequencing the issues that plague Punjab, he said that the farmers’ distress tops the list and also no issue can be placed in isolation rather it’s a change of issues, one leading to the other. 
Dr Brar noted that Punjab is not at the crossroads rather it is confused and an equally confused narrative about Punjab is being floated around.
“The confusion began in the 90’s for the people and leaders in Punjab and continues till date. The leaders, as policy makers lack clarity, hence the framing and execution of any policy also covers and addresses half the concern,” Dr Brar underlined.
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The academician also stated that the agrarian distress in Punjab must not be mixed up or compared with any other country or state because demographically Punjab is very different.
“The state is majorly dominated by agriculture economy and the production has already reached the saturation point. Further, production or diversification of crops need added expenses which farmers cannot bear as they already get less prices and are in huge debt,” added Dr Brar.
He also stated that the farmers, the people and the State are all in debt. “The MS Swaminathan Commission report must be implemented,” the author of 24 books added.
Regarding the diversification of crops, Dr Brar refuted claims that crops are in excess. “The population has crossed 140 crores and no human or animal can survive without food. Rather, the scarcity of wheat is looming large in Punjab,” added Dr Brar.
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Talking on the issue of unemployment in Punjab, he added that Punjab is mostly an agriculture economy and farmers’ debt, suicides and continuous agitations have taken away the hope from the youth for a better future in the state.
“Hence, migration is on the rise. Punjab is next to Kerala in the mass migrations,” he added.
The academician also underlined that migration is a complex phenomenon, as the banking sector has large openings but all are grabbed by the people from other states.
“No local is being given a job. The hopelessness amongst the youth has landed them in drugs – the synthetic drugs termed ‘Chitta’ in the film Udta Punjab. No leader thinks on this line as to why locals are jobless – are they not skilled properly or they do not wish to stay and work in Punjab,” he added.
Both the scenarios are dangerous, said Dr Brar, who is also a documentary script writer. He blamed the unclear vision for Punjab and the lack of political will for this.
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“The youth is further burdened by the moral and cultural dilemma. They leave the native land for better opportunities and their parents are left alone, with no one to look after them and some even die and their children can’t come even for the funeral,” he added.
It is not that the youth don’t feel the pangs of loneliness or the guilt of leaving their parents alone, noted the author.
“Hence, a rise in depression amongst the youth settled abroad. The youngsters who choose Punjab despite joblessness and drugs they often land up in gang mafia,” added Dr Brar.
He also stated that human capital, available resources utilization, and the development of the infrastructure are the key areas that can move Punjab out of its slumber.
“Medical Tourism should be developed in Punjab as it has some of the best government and private medical colleges. But the sky rocketing fee structure is the reason for lesser admissions,” he asserted.
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Dr Brar also opined that the service sector must have a reboot and revival through medical tourism. “NRIs come to India for their treatments as it is very expensive abroad. The doctors, nurses and the pharmacists are in huge demand. Why can’t Punjab encash this,” he asked.
The human potential and available resources must be tapped and channelized, noted Dr Brar. “As regards infrastructure, the international fliers from Punjab have to travel via Delhi, which is time consuming and expensive and also the money of Punjab is going out. Why can’t we have an international airport in Chandigarh,” asked Dr Brar.
He also stated that improved infrastructure will create more demand for specialised manpower, and, thus, more jobs would be created for pilots, airlines crew, air hostess, and also the administration staff at the airport.
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“More airlines will have offices in Punjab and new specialised courses would be introduced. The opportunities have to be created rather than waiting for a miracle to happen,” added Dr Brar.
He also stated that the BJP has never been successful with its political intervention in Punjab. “Punjab behaves and votes differently. The people wanted a non-congress, non–Akali government, hence it experimented with the Aam Aadmi Party but it too derailed from its core philosophy,” opined Dr Brar, who is also former head of the Punjabi department, Punjabi University, Patiala.
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