In a surprise announcement this morning, Prime Minister Narender Modi repealed the three controversial agricultural laws which have been the main cause for massive protest by the farmer for over year. Though the move is lauded as a good move by the Union government, it is for sure that Modi has taken this step keeping in view of the impending elections for Punjab and Uttar Pradesh assemblies.
The main focus for withdrawal of the farm laws seem to be Punjab and keeping in view of the festival of Guru Purab, when Sikhism founder Guru Nanak’s birthday is celebrated, this announcement was made. Moreover with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance Akali Dal walking out of the tie-up for this elections, BJP is finding it difficult to fight the battle alone. They were banking on Congress rebel and former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
Captain Amarinder walked out of Congress, due to his tiff with state party president Navjot Singh Sidhu, floated a new party called Punjab Lok Congress. BJP has been luring him and even promised to project him as the next CM candidate if he joined them. But Captain floated a new political party and said if Modi government provided a solution to farm laws he was ready for an alliance with BJP.
The repeal of farm laws opens up the window for a poll tie-up between Captain Amarinder’s Punjab Lok Congress and the BJP. Though Captain’s party is yet to take off, he still has political weight and charm in both rural and urban pockets of Punjab and will be hoping to flatter dissatisfied Congress leaders to jump into his new outfit.
Meanwhile political analysts say, desperate to be in poll reckoning, the Akalis had forged an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), leaving 20 of 117 assembly seats to the junior partner. But, the elevation of Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab’s first Dalit CM negated the Akali Dal’s caste card through the BSP. The Akalis can now hope to recover the political ground they lost in their traditional bastion of farmers.
Also Read: Modi Masterstroke: Repeals farms laws before Elections!
But, the key question is, will the Akalis and the BJP warm up to each other and again forge an alliance that once connected the tough Sikh and Hindu constituencies? If Akali Dal and BJP mend their ways after having cooled the farmers, what will be the future of Captain Amarinder?
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