Anti-corruption agenda on back burner, AAP drums up religious agenda in Tarn Taran

Religious fervour has taken the centre stage in the Aam Aadmi Party’s campaign for the Tarn Taran bypoll, scheduled for November 11.

With the AAP’s anti-corruption agenda going on the back burner, post the arrest of DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar and the huge stash of cash and gold seized from his possession, the party is now relying heavily on the functions being organised by the government to commemorate the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur, to reach out to voters in the Panthic seat of Tarn Taran.

In all elections and bypolls contested by AAP in the past three and a half years, the anti-corruption agenda has remained at the centre of the party''''s campaign. Today, in Patiala, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann indirectly addressed the issue by saying that "black sheep always bring disrepute".

But now religious agenda is clearly taking the spotlight. This is evident from the speeches made by the AAP leaders, including the party candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu and campaigner-in-chief for the constituency, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Not only are the leaders drumming up religious sentiments by telling voters in Tarn Taran about the government plan to observe the nearly month-long functions to mark the occasion, but all ministers and other senior party leaders have fanned out across the country, inviting political and religious leaders to the functions to be held in Punjab.

Winning the Tarn Taran bypoll is very important for AAP. Not just because the seat was held by the party (Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal was an AAP MLA and his demise has necessitated the bye-election), but because the performance of each political party in this bypoll will also set the tone for the 2027 Vidhan Sabha elections, due in 15 months.

In a Panthic seat (where matters related to the Sikh panth are supreme), sticking to the religious agenda should ideally help in building the AAP campaign. The party pollsters hope this “overdose” of religion would help camouflage the repercussions of the arrest of DIG Bhullar, caught with huge amounts of unaccounted-for cash and jewellery just 10 days ago. The response of the party, which stormed to power with 92 MLAs in 2022 with the promise of giving clean administration, on Bhullar issue has remained guarded and rather restrained, unlike the AAP political style of doing a “halla bol” on most political issues.

The party’s senior spokesperson Neel Garg, however, insists that anti-corruption agenda has always remained the most-important issue for AAP.

“We have responded to the arrest of Bhullar by declaring that whosoever indulges in any corruption, will not be spared. In fact, AAP is perhaps the only party that has not spared even its own party workers found indulging in corruption. We are not drumming up religious sentiments strategically, but it so happens that the election in Tarn Taran is coinciding with the observance of the 350th martyrdom anniversary of the ninth Sikh Guru. Being a Panthic seat, the issue is finding resonance with the people there,” he said.