Reverse sweep

AAP government led by Bhagwant Mann makes a U-turn on its strategy and messaging to safeguard its position

- BY PRATUL SHARMA

On March 19, Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Pralhad Joshi and Piyush Goyal met with farmer leaders in Chandigarh to discuss their long-standing demand for the legalisation of the minimum support price (MSP). The meeting was described as “cordial”, and the next one was scheduled for May 4. Soon after, however, Punjab Police launched a crackdown against farmer leaders and activists. Hundreds were detained, and national highways were cleared of tents that had been pitched over a year ago. What the BJP-led Central government could not manage at Delhi's borders in 2020, the Aam Aadmi Party government was able to do in Punjab.

The harsh action was uncharacteristic of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, leaving a lot of people puzzled. Why would the state government antagonise farmers, a community constituting over two-thirds of Punjab’s population, when no party has dared to do so? The Shiromani Akali Dal was forced to withdraw from the National Democratic Alliance and recall its minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Modi cabinet when the agitation first began in 2020, as it could not afford to be seen in the opposition camp. Moreover, the AAP has been the biggest beneficiary of the 2020 farmers’ agitation, as mainstream parties in Punjab were routed and a political newbie was given a chance in the 2022 assembly elections.

The crackdown came two days after Mann completed his third year in office and received an endorsement from party chief Arvind Kejriwal, confirming that he would serve his full term. The reasons are not hard to fathom. After suffering a major electoral setback in Delhi, the AAP is eager to safeguard its government in Punjab. Simultaneously, the state government launched a “war against drugs”. This concurrent crackdown suggests a strategic recalibration to strengthen Mann's position.