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P^JAB lAeIMz 26- 01- 2017
Principal dr. sujinder singh
sangha oBe Frsa
Fifty years ago,
before migrating to
Britain, I was a student
at Lyallpur
Khalsa College,
Jalandhar, during
the academic year
1966-67. The
Shiromani Akali
Dal’s popularity was on the rise
due to its long campaign and relative
success in achieving the
Punjabi-Suba. One afternoon at
the college campus some pro-
Congress and Communist students
were taunting Akali minded
students. I remember their point
well - that Akalis could lead protest
morchas, but they were not capable
of forming and leading a government.
One of the students
walked away to his class shouting
“What about Akali MLAs like
Badal? He is a graduate, has been
in the Assembly for 10 years, and
comes from a good farming family!”
This observation remained
with me as I was from an Akali family.
My grand-father was a
Jathedar, who never missed a morcha
in his life until he passed away
(after being a Dharam Yutdh
Morcha political prisoner in the
early 1980s).
Being in Britain since early 1968
I continued to observe and write on
Punjab affairs in their Indian context,
in general, and Punjabi/Sikh
politics in particular. No observer of
Punjab affairs whether one loves
or loathes the leadership of CM
Parkash Singh Badal, can escape
reflecting on its impact. The Badal
leadership’s vision, policies, strategies,
directions and actions have
not only influenced the state and its
people deeply and widely, but it
has also prevailed as the longest in
the history of modern Punjab.
Despite many ups and downs, dissents,
rivalries, splinter group politics
and opposition campaigns, the
Badal leadership has transformed
the Akali movement of morchas
and protests, into an influential ruling
formation, inclusive of Punjabis
of all backgrounds, in a powerful
alliance with the BJP.
Having been a legislator since
1957, CM Parkash Singh Badal is
the longest serving fifth term chief
minister of the state. He set a
record by being India’s youngest
CM in 1970 and the oldest CM in
2017. His political career as an
activist, legislator, protest leader,
political prisoner, State and Union
minister, leader of the opposition
and chief minister spans 70 years.
He has been an iconic
politician for the ruling, rival and
opposition politicians.
The politics of Punjab have
revolved around the Badal leadership
for several generations of
politicians. He has been in the eye
of the storm of Communists,
Congress establishment, radical
militants, newly born AAP and
other outfits. Despite re-current
the impact of CM Parkash singh Badal’s leadership
crises, CM Badal’s calmer, nonconfrontational
and pragmatic
leadership has led the Punjab and
its people to its present era of comparative
stability, development and
communal harmony – conditions,
essential for economic and social
progress.
Irrespective of the critics’ instant
analyses, history will record that
after Maharaja Ranjit Singh, CM
Parkash Sing Badal is the one
politician under whose leadership
the Punjab has developed to enact
a composite vision and strategic
direction for the state and its people.
The earlier Akali led Badal
governments were not allowed to
function by the Congress-led
Union governments - chiefly
because then PM Indira Gandhi
was opposed to the federal geopolitical,
economic and cultural
demands of the Akalis. She resented
the SAD-BJP opposition of her
emergency rule of 1975, and in
1984 suppressed with force the
Dharam Youdh movement which
was demanding rights under the
historic Anandpur Sahib
Resolution. This resulted in the
unfolding of a tragic period of 10
years and was deeply damaging to
the economy, human rights and
social progress of the state and its
people. In 1997 CM Parkash Singh
Badal led the Akali-BJP Alliance
won the election. With the exception
of 2002 – 2007 term, has
remained in power.
PanjaB tiMes
a view from Britain on
For the first time an Akali-BJP
government has been in power in
the Punjab for two consecutive
terms between 2007 and 2017.
Notwithstanding the politics surrounding
the policies, strategies
and effectiveness of the police and
civil administration, the published
data shows that the per capita
income in Punjab has doubled during
this period. Expenditure on
health, education, social welfare,
public facilities and support mechanisms
for the under-privileged
population is at a record high. The
government investment on macro
infrastructure development such
as roads, bridges, fly-overs, airports,
bus terminals, improvement
of air, rail and road links, electricity
generation, eco-energy, irrigation,
water supply, sewerage, information
and communication technology
and public service administrative
buildings has been exemplary.
The public, private and voluntary
sectors’ expansion for provision of
general and specialist school, further
and higher education, skills
training and sports, and the development
of numerous all India level
institutions of advanced health and
medical sciences, new technologies,
management and so on, has
set this 10 year period apart from
any previous period in the Punjab.
The state has also expanded provision
for preparatory and meritorious
education for a range of occupations
including security and
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defence services for women and
youth.
This period has also witnessed a
remarkable development of monuments
and events depicting and
projecting the Punjab’s rich history,
heritage, religious traditions and
culture. Never before the Punjab
been visited by so many global dignitaries
including heads of state,
government and international institutions.
The Punjab Investment
Summits between 2012 and 2014
attracted a significant number of
trade, commerce, industry and
business leadership. It is also noteworthy
that the international summit
of 35 countries and
International Trade Exhibitions
were hosted in Amritsar.
Agricultural and allied growth has
increased in real terms, the infrastructure
and facilities for travel,
tourism, hospitality, sports and religious
pilgrimage are being
strengthened. This process of
development should continue to
support the state’s revenue and
general well-being.
Alongside the development and
progress in Punjab, there is acute
awareness of the consequences of
intensive cultivation, risks to environmental
health, pollution and
falling water levels. Politics is a
tough trade and it hasn’t been all
entirely plain sailing for the CM
Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy
CM Sukhbir Singh Badal led SAD-
BJP Punjab government. The leadership
has faced relentless opposition
protests and agitations during
2015-16 in the run-up to 4th
February 2017 Assembly elections.
The issues of drug smuggling
and addiction, corruption,
crimes, government debts, unemployment,
suicides, road safety
and lawlessness of the mafias and
gangs have been high on the public
agenda. The desecration of religious
scriptures has also created a
challenge and sense of turmoil -
the perceptions and realities relating
to these issues require serious
attention for their resolution.
The Punjab can only go forward
and progress further by building on
the development, peace and stability
achieved in recent years. The
challenge for future political leadership
will be to meet or beat the
impact that CM Parkash Singh
Badal’s leadership has made. This
mild-mannered, humorously nonconfrontationist
and pragmatic
architect of Punjab polity, has well
deserved the highest secular and
religious awards and recognitions
from New Delhi and Amritsar.
(Dr. Sujinder Singh Sangha OBE FRSA
is formerly a Principal and Chief Executive
of a leading UK GFE College. He has written
extensively in Punjabi on current affairs
over the last fifty years.
Twitter:@SanghaDr)