Punjab politics often produces strange contradictions. AAP's Punjab president Aman Arora has Congress roots, former Punjab BJP President Sunil Kumar Jakhar spent decades in Congress, and BJP's current Punjab Chief Kewal Singh Dhillon also built much of his political career there. Yet AAP and BJP regularly attack Congress and portray it as the source of Punjab's political problems. This leaves many voters scratching their heads if so many senior leaders across parties once belonged to Congress, then how much of today's criticism is really about ideology, and how much is simply politicians changing jerseys while continuing the same political game ?
पंजाब की राजनीति अक्सर दिलचस्प विरोधाभासों से भरी रहती है। 'आप' के पंजाब अध्यक्ष अमन अरोड़ा की राजनीतिक जड़ें कांग्रेस से जुड़ी रही हैं, पूर्व पंजाब भाजपा अध्यक्ष सुनील कुमार जाखड़ ने कांग्रेस में दशकों बिताए, और भाजपा के मौजूदा पंजाब अध्यक्ष केवल सिंह ढिल्लों ने भी अपने राजनीतिक करियर का बड़ा हिस्सा कांग्रेस में गुज़ारा। फिर भी 'आप' और भाजपा अक्सर कांग्रेस को पंजाब की राजनीतिक समस्याओं की जड़ बताती हैं। ऐसे में कई मतदाता यह सोचने पर मजबूर हैं कि अगर अलग-अलग पार्टियों के इतने बड़े नेता कभी कांग्रेस का हिस्सा रह चुके हैं, तो आज की आलोचना वास्तव में विचारधारा की लड़ाई है या सिर्फ़ नेताओं के पार्टी बदलने के बाद भी वही पुराना राजनीतिक खेल जारी है ?
Hardeep Singh Mundian's rise in AAP reflects a larger trend in Punjab politics, where leaders from traditional parties have found new opportunities under the ruling dispensation. Having left his previous political camp behind, Mundian now enjoys the advantages of being part of the government and is increasingly seen as one of AAP's emerging faces. But Punjab voters have often distinguished between leaders who carry their own political weight and those who rise mainly because of the party wave behind them. As 2027 draws closer, will Mundian establish himself as a leader with a loyal base of his own, or will his popularity be tested the moment the political winds begin to change ?
