This LS poll, NRI push seems to be on decline

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 22

The upcoming Lok Sabha polls are going to be much different from 2014 in a number of ways. The difference becomes stark when it is about the involvement of NRIs in electioneering. This time NRIs have become silent on social media unlike the hullabaloo that they had created last time supporting their favourite candidates and parties. No politician has gone abroad and shared any picture of meeting NRIs over fund raiser dinners. They are not even making any calls, sharing any videos or sending WhatsApp messages to voters in Punjab to favour any party or candidate. Leave aside giving any dollar boost or moral support, they now seem to be least interested about the election scenario back home.

Further, no party is talking about its overseas units or their activities this time. A cross-section of NRIs whom The Tribune talked to hinted that the unfulfilled dreams shown by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and no combined third front emerging this time were the primary reason that keeps them away. They also opined that the incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and killings of youth in police firing and emergence of the alleged link of then ruling Akali Dal in the episode too had turned them away.

They shared that only candidates who had NRI support were Punjab Ekta Party leaders – Sukhpal Khaira contesting from Bathinda and Paramjit Kaur Khalra from Khadoor Sahib.

New York-based hotelier and prominent NRI Manjit Singh Dasuya, who had earlier joined AAP, said, “NRIs are clearly not interested in any political development back home. They showed enthusiasm in 2014 as they had then believed in the dreams shown to them by the AAP of bringing in a revolutionary change in the country and putting an end to corruption. Now they have seen where AAP is, especially in Punjab, and how the promises shown to them have fallen flat. So, now they are completely disillusioned and do not want to waste any energy, time and resources on elections here”. Prior to joining AAP, Dasuya had for five years been the president of SAD Overseas unit of US.

Former NRI Sabha president Pritam Singh Narangpuri too believes that the failure of the expectations of the NRIs of bringing in a change in the system is what makes them completely indifferent. “The NRIs were thinking of AAP as a powerful alternative. But they saw it losing steam so fast. If at all they are supporting any candidate today, it is because of their personal relations. All candidates have NRI family members or close friends. It is just the NRIs who are in immediate, close circles, who are helping political leaders at the moment”.

A researcher on NRIs, Satnam Chana, said, “NRIs da tan moh hi bhang ho chukya hai. Hun oh chheti edar munh vi nhi karange (NRIs have lost their love for the state. They will not even turn this way fast).