Parties trying to woo Punjab voters with utopian dreams

Charanjit Singh Teja

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Amritsar, January 20

During the last two Assembly election, the political leaders and parties claimed that they would transform Punjab into a California-like city or sell facilities available in the West here if they were voted to power.

During the last few years, residents started ridiculing the parties and their leaders for selling these utopian plans. Senior SAD leader and former CM Parkash Singh Badal often claimed to transform Punjab into California in his election rallies.

The politicians have come up with new models and utopian dreams this time. The California model of political parties seems no more relevant in the state.

Now, the Aam Aadmi Party is trying to sell the “Delhi model” of Arvind Kejriwal governance to the voters of the state just to be in power. While state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu came up with the Punjab model.

In a recent meeting in his constituency, Navjot Singh claimed that the Tamil Nadu Government made all the services available online. “It is the best way to eliminate corruption from government offices. We will introduce it in the Punjab model,” said Navjot Sidhu.

However, political experts claim that political slogans do not have much life. The politicians have to think of something new every time.

“In 1997, SAD gave a slogan to revive the Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule. The Punjabis have great respect for the justice and policies of the Maharaja. What SAD delivered was a different story, but they didn’t repeat the slogan in the 2002 and 2007 election. Then they devised the California model of development and people started mocking them. This time, the Delhi model and the Punjab model are getting hype. It is Just to lure the voters,” said Sandeep Singh, an academician.

“I have heard the political debates on the Delhi and Punjab models. Sidhu claims that AAP national convener Kejriwal has stolen his model. The political parties claim to transform Punjab into a developed and prosperous state. Educated and skilled youngsters of the state are leaving the country as they do not see a future here. No one believes in manifestos and pre-poll slogans as people know that no party is going to deliver it,” said Jaswant Jass, an activist of a political party.