Is this a reflection of regional pride, historical tradition, or something else?
Opinion
National population share of Punjab in the country is 2.29 percent. Still, personnel below officer rank in the army have an 8% contribution from Punjab.
Arvind Khanna’s political journey now feels less like a normal career and more like Punjab politics’ ultimate lane-changing masterclass. From starting his rise under Sukhbir Singh Badal in Shiromani Akali Dal, to becoming Captain Amarinder Singh’s trusted power player in Congress, disappearing from politics, and then making a comeback through BJP, Khanna always looked like the man who could sense political winds changing before everyone else. But after repeated defeats in Sangrur, many now wonder whether Punjab’s once “shining strategist” became too busy changing highways to notice that the crowd he left behind stopped following him altogether. So today, what best defines Arvind Khanna’s political story ?
अरविंद खन्ना का राजनीतिक सफर अब एक सामान्य करियर से ज्यादा पंजाब राजनीति की सबसे बड़ी “लेन बदलने वाली” कहानी जैसा लगता है। शिरोमणि अकाली दल में सुखबीर सिंह बादल के साथ उभरना, फिर कांग्रेस में कैप्टन अमरिंदर सिंह का भरोसेमंद ताकतवर चेहरा बनना, राजनीति से गायब हो जाना और बाद में भाजपा के जरिए वापसी करना, खन्ना हमेशा ऐसे नेता लगे जिन्हें राजनीतिक हवा का रुख दूसरों से पहले समझ आ जाता था। लेकिन संगरूर में लगातार हार के बाद अब कई लोग सोचते हैं कि क्या पंजाब का कभी “चमकदार रणनीतिकार” इतना ज्यादा रास्ते बदलने में व्यस्त हो गया कि पीछे छूट चुके लोग ही उसके साथ चलना बंद कर गए। तो आज अरविंद खन्ना की राजनीति को सबसे बेहतर क्या परिभाषित करता है ?
For years, in Shiromani Akali Dal under Sardar Parkash Singh Badal’s Command, party revolved around two power centres, Sukhbir Singh Badal as the organisational boss, and Bikram Singh Majithia as the youth leader acting as party’s aggressive political attack machine who often dominated headlines during Akali Dal’s toughest battles. But after election setbacks, Panthic anger, ED pressure, and nonstop political attacks, Punjab politics is now asking a once-unthinkable question: Has Majithia finally reached a stage where he stands almost shoulder-to-shoulder with Sukhbir inside the Akali system ? And if either the Centre or Punjab Government ever heavily corners Sukhbir through investigations or pressure politics, can Majithia truly take full control of Akali Dal, or is he still seen as powerful mainly under Sukhbir’s shadow ?
