Eyeing Lok Sabha polls BJP on the offensive in Punjab

With other political parties seemingly in the backseat, it is increasingly becoming AAP versus BJP in Punjab.

After losing the Punjab polls badly, the BJP is making a big push, from street politics to top-level meetings with the Sikh community leaders to make its presence felt in a state, where for decades, it was a fringe player.

Be it violence in Patiala over the “anti-Khalistan march” last week, or the arrest of BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, the ruling party at the Centre has mounted a huge offensive to corner AAP.

The Aam Aadmi Party, on the other hand, after winning the Punjab polls, is projecting Arvind Kejriwal as the key challenger to PM Narendra Modi ahead of the 2024 polls.

In the last few months, before and after the Punjab polls, the BJP has sought to spotlight the issue of national security as the issue has traction in the border state — which sends a large number of security personnel to all forces.

The saffron party, after the exit of Shiromani Akali Dal from NDA in 2020, has tried to keep its relevance in the state politics by contesting the state polls in alliance with former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh’s newly-formed party. It has been reaching out to the Sikh communities with a number of measures.

Also Read | Punjab parties slam AAP government for 'misusing' police in Bagga's arrest

BJP, which has been training guns on the Congress repeatedly for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots for a long time has a bigger challenge in the emergence of AAP in Punjab, as the latter does not have any past baggage like Congress on this count. So, the question is now about capability.

BJP had always raised questions about the capabilities of Congress, and now is doing the same for AAP in running the border state.

Days before slamming AAP over Patiala violence, Union Minister Anurag Thakur had said, "There is a breakdown of law and order in Punjab. The chief minister is spending more time outside the state. We do not know who is looking after the law and order in the state."

Wondering if the Punjab government and Chief Minister were capable of controlling the situation, he had promised "strict action against those who tried to disrupt the harmony and brotherhood in Punjab".

BJP ally Captain Amarinder Singh had said that the Patiala incident reflected the "complete failure" of the Aam Aadmi Party government to take care of law and order in the state.

Going on the offensive about arrest of its Delhi BJP spokesperson Bagga, the BJP workers on Friday staged a protest outside the Janakpuri police station and raised slogans against Punjab Police. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala alleged, "Punjab Police is being used by Super CM of Punjab Kejriwal as his personal Gestapo...The police action on Tajinder Bagga is purely vindictive and a complete misuse of police power!"

Defending the action, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj also alleged that "a lot of BJP-linked people were instigating the violence in Patiala". Promising to come out with a big revelation, he alleged the BJP was behind the clashes between two groups in Punjab's Patiala district.

BJP last year projected the opening of Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan in a big way by sending a 21-member party delegation and has kept up its outreach with regular meetings with Sikh delegations with Prime Minister Modi. In the last week of April, Modi met a delegation of 100 prominent Sikhs, a week after his Red Fort address on the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Out of the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab, BJP and its erstwhile ally had won two each in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls while Congress won eight. AAP won four Lok Sabha seats in 2014, SAD won four, Congress three and BJP two.