All In The Family

IN the present Punjab political scenario, leave alone ideology, even party affiliations have ceased to matter. What’s emerging in the forthcoming state polls is the politics of kith and kin. More simply: if I can’t win the polls, someone in the family will.

Frontline Akali and Congress leaders in at least two dozen assembly constituencies have ignored cadre-based leaders to allot tickets to sons, daughters, sons-in-law and other kin. Topping the list is Parkash Singh Badal. Son-in-law Avdesh Singh Kairon was inducted in the Akali Dal just two weeks before being given the ticket to the Patti assembly seat. Avdesh’s father, Surinder Singh Kairon, a diehard Congressman, has not let his party affiliations bother him. He is working overtime to ensure his victory.

Badal’s son Akash Singh Badal is the Akali MP from Faridkot. In the ’96 Lok Sabha polls he defeated Bublee Brar, daughter of then chief minister Harcharan Singh Brar. Now his cousin Manpreet Singh Badal, nephew of Badal senior, is trying his luck on an Akali ticket from the Gidderbaha assembly constituency. Educated at St Stephens College in Delhi and later in Europe, Manpreet’s entry into the maelstrom of Akali politics was difficult since he had to counter his mother- in - law’s political ambition as well. Mother-in-law Sharm-inder Kaur Johal was a staunch Akali until she discovered her son-in-law would be the Akali candidate from Gidderbaha. Within hours of his name being made public, Sharminder quit the Dal and is now contesting from Ferozepur on a Congress ticket.

Veteran Akali leader J.S. Talwandi has put up son Ranjit Singh Talwandi from the Raikot assembly constituency. Relatively new to politics, Ranjit will be contesting polls for the first time. Another Akali veteran, Atma Singh, has ‘managed’ the Sultanpur Lodhi seat for daughter Upinderjit Kaur, while Harmel Singh, son-in-law of S G P C chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra is contesting on an Akali ticket from the Dakala assembly seat in Patiala, in the face of virulent opposition from former legislator Charanjit Singh  Walia. It was on the issue of ticket distribution in Patiala that 33 veteran Akali leaders led by Capt. Amarinder Singh quit the Akali Dal in protest against Badal’s ‘dictatorial’ style. Walia is now the Amarinder faction candidate of the Akali Dal from Dakala.

When it comes to promoting family interests, can the Congress be far behind? Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal’s brother Manjit Singh Bhattal is the Congress candidate from Dhanaula in the Sangrur parliamentary constituency. According to a local official in Sangrur, nothing should come in the way of Manjit’s victory. But for a badly splintered district Congress, the chief minister may realise her ambition. Balram Jakhar’s son Sajjan Kumar is recontesting from the Abohar assembly constituency, a Hindu majority area. He is known for being his father’s nominee in the state Cabinet to ‘oversee’ the farming interests of the Jakhar clan, both in Punjab and Haryana.

While Buta Singh is contesting the by-poll from the Ropar Lok Sabha seat which has fallen vacant after the death of Akali MP Basant Singh Khalsa, his nephew Joginder Singh Mann is fighting on a Congress ticket from Phagwara. "There was a lot of resentment from the local Congress workers, but Buta used his clout to good effect," says Gurbachan Singh, a Congress worker. Cabinet minister in the Bhattal government, Lakhmir Singh Randhawa, was denied a party ticket from Fatehgarh to make way for P C C secretary Santokh Singh Randhawa’s son. Beant Singh’s ‘political son’ Tej Prakash has been foisted as the official party candidate from the Jalandhar Cantt seat.

As a result, rebel candidates have proliferated all over the state. Says Jagdev Singh Tazpuri, rebel Akali candidate from Ludhiana rural: "Punjab politics is fraught with such stories. Here family ties are paramount." Ramesh Chennithala, Congress observer for Jalandhar and Nawanshahr, was sent to assuage the ‘rebels’, but failed. He told reporters in Jalandhar that he couldn’t meet all the candidates as most had fanned out into the countryside. Given such kinship ties being superimposed on the Punjab elections, that’s not surprising.