Jakhar as future CM; Capt kills many birds with single stone
Monday, 13/05/2019
https://www.brightpunjabexpress.com/index.php/2019/05/12/jakhar-as-future-cm-capt-kills-many-birds-with-single-stone/
CHANDIGARH : Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is an astute politician, who chooses his words cautiously and carefully.
Rarely ever has he been caught on the wrong foot. He has a subtle way of conveying his messages across. This time it was for his arch rival and bête noir within the party, Partap Singh Bajwa, a wannabe CM, waiting in the wings for the earliest opportunity available, who considers himself to be the “deemed successor” to Capt Amarinder. However, on Saturday, Capt Amarinder chose a specific occasion and a specific place to pull the rug out of Bajwa’s feet by announcing that the PCC president Sunil Jakhar, who is contesting from Gurdaspur and is locked in a tough fight against BJP’s Sunny Deol, is the “future” Chief Minister of Punjab.
Interestingly, he announced Jakhar to be the “future”, but necessarily not the next CM in Gurdaspur, the pocket borough of Bajwa, which he represented between 2009 and 2014. It was the proverbial killing of not just two, but many birds with single stone by Capt Amarinder. First announcing Jakhar to be the “future” CM raises his political profile when he is fighting a tough battle against film star and BJP candidate Sunny Deol. When the word goes around that Jakhar may be the future CM of Punjab, it gives him an advantage against his rival. That here is a candidate, whom no less a person than Capt Amarinder himself announced to be the future CM of Punjab, who is seeking your votes. This will provide a definite edge to the PCC president. Who will not like to vote for the possible CM? By announcing Jakhar as the “future” CM, Capt Amarinder has also targeted the Hindu voters across the state in general and Gurdaspur constituency in particular. So far it is believed that the CM has necessarily to be a Jat Sikh or at least a Sikh.
By announcing that Jakhar, a prominent Hindu face of Punjab, was the future CM, he has directly targeted the Hindu voters, who have so far been made to believe that there cannot be a Hindu Chief Minister in Punjab. Precedent also proves the point. Last, but not the least, Capt Amarinder has also conveyed it to Partap Bajwa that he should stop dreaming to be the “next” CM of Punjab. Bajwa, is a leader in his own league. He served as the PCC president for about three years. He is among the frontline claimants for succession, probably ahead of others like Manpreet Badal and Navjot Singh Sidhu, both of whom are recent entrants to the Congress. Bajwa, so far has distanced himself from the campaigning in Gurdaspur. He wanted to contest himself from Gurdaspur this time. He had strongly opposed Jakhar’s nomination in 2017 byelection necessitated by Vinod Khanna’s death and wanted it for his wife Charanjit Kaur Bajwa. This time he wanted the nomination for himself and even offered his own Rajya Sabha seat to Dr Manmohan Singh in the bargain. His younger brother Fateh Jang Bajwa is an MLA from Qadian, which falls within the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency. He is however, actively campaigning for Jakhar lest he be seen to be siding with his brother and earning the wrath of party high command. Partap Bajwa, besides Capt Amarinder, does not get along well with Jakhar also. Jakhar had actively campaigned for his removal as the PCC president and sided with Capt Amarinder. Eventually, Bajwa was replaced by Capt Amarinder. Bajwa blames Jakhar for the same and probably rightly so. And he is now trying to return the favour.
