Villages on sale

Four villages of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s Jalalabad constituency recently made it to national news. The residents there put up banners, saying all their land and homes were up for sale, as survival in the villages had become impossible because of lack of basic civic amenities. Their startling ‘village for sale’ notice may be a tactic to draw attention. But the abject deprivation in those and other villages, particularly in the neglected border belt, should make everyone sit up and take note, because we have a political leadership that is going to the elections with the claim of unprecedented development work done during its two consecutive tenures. Has the media missed out on something or has the leadership made its assessment remotely sitting in the Chandigarh corridors? Advertisement campaigns cannot hide the ugly reality.

It is hard to imagine the SAD government is not aware of the ground situation, because at least its 21 Chief Parliamentary Secretaries claim Rs 1 lakh a day for an average daily travel of 600 km. The government has set no limit on how much they can claim, but has all along defaulted on salary payments. That is a matter of priorities. But the gap between claims and delivery is no less stark. Sukhbir Badal personally propagated a grandiose development agenda in the 2012 polls — Adarsh Schools, AC buses and bus stands, health and drinking water for all. The reality is a mere six ‘meritorious’ schools with little merit; surreptitiously given grace marks for 54,000 students; expansion of his private AC buses; continuing cancer incidence; and a Malwa still crying for clean drinking water.

It is time to set the agenda for yet another election. With no explanation for the prevailing mess after almost 10 years in power, the leadership has taken to stoking religious sentiments. It must remember that it is an electorate that has weathered separatist militancy, communal instigations, and extreme corruption, apart from personal deprivation. They would appreciate nothing but plain-speaking.