Dharamkot lives with drug taint, longs for jobs

Ruchika M Khanna

WITH winter setting in, there’s a nip in the air, but this conversation is just hotting up. Village elders are sitting at the dilapidated bus stop of Indergarh village, animatedly debating whether the “winds of change” will sweep the Akali stronghold of Dharamkot, represented by Cabinet minister Tota Singh.

Two issues dominate the debate: Drugs and jobs. As the villages of Dholewala and Nurpur Hakima under this constituency in Moga district are notorious for the “chitta” trade, most of the elders feel that gainful employment can act as an antidote.

Karnail Singh, a retired patwari, rues that all four of his highly educated grandchildren — two engineers, a post-graduate in physics and an ETT teacher — haven’t got the jobs they deserve. “They are all teaching in schools and colleges instead of being hired by multinational IT companies or the top industries. No government has been able to create employment avenues. The youth is a frustrated lot and I fear that they might take some drastic step,” he says.

His message to the vote-seekers is loud and clear: “Hun jo sarkar banave, usnu sab to vadh iss te dhian dena chahida hai. Eh puraniyan partiyan ne saade bachcheyan vaste kuch nahin keeta, te navin party kol halle kuch karan vaste samarth nahin lagdi (the party that comes to power should focus on jobs for the youth. The traditional parties have not done the needful and the new entrant seems incapable of doing it).” His friend, Sarup Singh, butts in, “I have heard that the government received six lakh applications for police recruitment. Chalo, ihna ne bharti tan khol ditti. Hun jehde berozgar drug yan crime val jande ne, naukri milegi tan sudhrange (the jobs will wean the unemployed off drugs and crime).”

“Development works have been initiated in the village… we now have a new mandi and there is a sewage disposal system in place,” he adds, brimming with optimism. Mahinder counters him: “Development is selective. Roads and gullies are not being constructed in the areas where they (local Akali leaders) know that most of the residents support the Congress or jharu (AAP).”

Projects have been fast-tracked in a majority of the 160 villages and two main towns (Dharamkot and Kot Ise Khan), obviously with an eye on the impending model code of conduct. Rupinder Kaur of Kishanpura village, who is preparing for IELTS so that she can go abroad, minces no words: “Every party treats the voters like beggars once it comes to power. We have to beg to get development done in our villages — something which is our right. That's why the local youth want change. And also responsive governance.”

Echoing her views, another youth, Jaswant Singh of Badduwal village, says, “The government has set up a new tehsil complex in Dharamkot; even the new roads are being relaid; the sewerage system is being set up. But why does it all happen only when the elections are approaching?”

Though economic and infrastructural development has largely eluded Dharamkot over the years, there are still many committed Akali and Congress supporters. The constituency is dotted with flex boards put up by the Akalis, highlighting various development works and the Tirath Yatra scheme. The Congress is not far behind with boards of its own, with the slogan, “Captain Liao, Punjab Bachao.” However, it’s the young brigade in most villages which wants to try out the new party on the block. 

Jaswinder Singh, a vegetable seller of Kot Ise Khan, is happy with development, even if it’s belated, but the cartelisation of the transport business by top Akali leaders and their failure to solve the cases of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib are issues that still rankle.

According to Sandeep Bajaj, who works as a chemist in Dharamkot, the government has miserably failed to curb the drug menace. “This place has become a haven for addicts. Scores of customers come asking for syringes daily, but I don’t sell these as I know they want to use it to inject drugs.”

Amarjit Singh, a former sarpanch of Nurpur Hakima, laments, “Kam keete ghat ne, mashhuri batheri keeti aa. Jehde keete ne, oh vee aivein aa. Ithe bachcheyan de bhavikh vaste kuch nahin hai (The rulers’ stress is on publicity rather than executing the works properly. There’s nothing here for the young generation).” This sums up the mood in the constituency — the voters are seeking accountability. No party can afford to take them for granted.

Akali territory

MLA Tota Singh’s rivals — SGPC member and Congress ticket front-runner Sukhjit Singh Kaka Lohgarh and AAP candidate Dr Ranjodh Singh Sra — are out to turn the disenchantment among the voters to their advantage. Dharamkot has sent an Akali to the Vidhan Sabha for four consecutive terms. Between 1997 and 2007, it was a reserved seat from where Sital Singh was elected thrice. In 2012, after it was declared a general seat, 

Tota Singh came up trumps. He now faces an uphill task, not only due to anti-incumbency but also in view of the pesticide scam that rocked the agriculture ministry headed by him.

Last election result

Winning Candidate 
Tota Singh of SAD
Votes polled 
62,887
Runner-up
Sukhjit Singh Kaka Lohgarh Congress
Votes polled
58,632