AAP government in Punjab completes two years on March 16 ahead of Lok Sabha elections
By Satinder Bains
CHANDIGARH: A band of opposition leaders in Punjab often found making sarcastic attacks on the comedian turned politician, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann faced it with grit and at times laugh them off. He was discredited as non-serious player in politics. Bullying and leg pulling by opposition parties however failed to deter him. He maintained his wit and earned many to his account.
The rise of Bhagwant Mann to the top post had surprised and disheartened many. The opposition parties, SAD, BJP and Congress had started attacking Bhagwant Mann from the day one, he took oath of the office. Cynical to the change, the opposition leaders had sarcastically dismissed Bhagwant Mann calling him a "buffoon" and "Clown". The opposition didn’t even spare his family members and team of 92 MLA's ridiculing them as cheap and 'strange''' human beings.
Bhagwant Mann is first generation politician, who had to swim against the tide to make his presence felt as an incumbent. His journey never a cake-walk right from a 'best performer' in the "Laughter Challenge" a popular TV show to becoming president of Aam Aadmi Party and then the Chief Minister of the state. His quality of being coherent has get him through the challenging times. But the most challenging and promising time of his political career began on March 16, 2022, the day he administered the oath of CM.
Though administrative inexperience of Bhagwant Mann was made an issue by the opposition parties but this disadvantage worked in his favour. If he was not carrying any tags and past baggage and it gave him an opportunity to make a clean start.
Now completing two years of his government, Bhagwant Mann is struggling to cope with the numerous problems he had inherited from previous governments like regularization of ad hoc and temporary employees and teachers, no recruitment in the last ten years and pending pay commission arrears of over 2 lakh government employees. He took time to resolve some of the longstanding issues even as his priorities and challenges were different from his immediate predecessors Capt Amarinder Singh and Parkash Singh Badal.
Bhagwant Mann had focused on launching prosecution against the corrupt ministers in previous governments but tend to ignore corrupt practices of some of his cabinet colleagues. He drew his strength by exposing misdeeds of previous governments and also used it as cover up for his own partymen.
He has admirers and critics as well. He is admired for fighting the corruption in administration, efforts for eliminating role of money and nepotism in the government jobs and trying to improve the health and education systems, free power supply to the poor and reviving sports activities.
His critics troll him for poor law and order, lack of transparency and outsider interference in the government working, continuing the VIP culture and role of Punjab government in the farmer's agitation.
The farmer's issue has the potential of wiping out all the gains of AAP government. Bhagwant Mann was mediator for talks between Punjab farmers and center government and he was present in three of the four meetings held to discuss the demands of agitating farmers. However, the death of young farmer at Khanauri border in firing by Haryana police. The post mortem of the deceased farmer has been conducted after a week and cremated on Thursday after Punjab Police registered murder case against unidentified persons.
The people of Punjab have given Bhagwant Mann their mandate for five years when they got frustrated from previous governments of Congress and SAD-BJP. He will be judged on every step and he has no alternative other than delivering the results to the people.
The upcoming Lok Sabha elections coincides with completion of two years of AAP government. Bhagwant Mann government may have claimed many feathers in its cap but still it has to pass this litmus test of Lok Sabha polls. His writ and wit still prevail he must start introspection before it is too late.