Balbir Singh Rajewal, 80, knows Punjab as well as he knows his crops. He was the face of the farmers’agitation, and now after forcing the government to repeal the three farm laws, the farmer leader has become the chief ministerial face of the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM).
The SSM, floated by 22 farm unions, is the youngest political party in the fray. It is trying to cash in on pro-farmer sentiment, which coursed through the state at the height of the farmers’ agitation. Like many parties born of a movement, the SSM appeals to emotions with the promise of a bright future for the state. However, with less than a month to go for assembly elections, can the SSM replicate the success of the Aam Aadmi Party that grew from the anti-corruption movement? The jury is still out.
On a chilly January morning, a month after the party was floated, THE WEEK met Rajewal at his rice mill, now run by his son, in Samrala, 60km from state capital Chandigarh—also the constituency he is contesting from. “We are yet to formally launch our campaign,” says the president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal). “People are not aware of the candidates. But wherever we go, we get huge response. You will see the campaign turning into a wave within a week.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 13, 2022 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 13, 2022 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.