In the Malwa belt of Punjab, 9 or 10 years back, the most suitable and profitable crop was long staple cotton, which was grown in more than 7 lakh hectares, but has drastically reduced to under 1 lakh hectares.
Polling
Has the Administration shown some great seriousness to tide over this crisis situation?
As Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini accused the Punjab Government of indulging in “freebie politics” and claimed people are looking for change, the remarks come just days before Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s ‘Badlav’ rally in Moga. With the BJP positioning itself as an alternative in Punjab while criticising welfare giveaways, the political curiosity now shifts to the rally itself.
हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री नायब सिंह सैनी ने पंजाब सरकार पर “फ्रीबी राजनीति” करने का आरोप लगाया और कहा कि लोग बदलाव चाहते हैं। यह बयान ऐसे समय आया है जब कुछ ही दिनों में केंद्रीय गृह मंत्री अमित शाह मोगा में ‘बदलाव’ रैली को संबोधित करने वाले हैं। पंजाब में खुद को एक विकल्प के रूप में पेश करते हुए भाजपा जहां मुफ्त योजनाओं की राजनीति की आलोचना कर रही है, वहीं अब राजनीतिक जिज्ञासा इस रैली की ओर मुड़ गई है।
Punjab BJP Chief Sunil Kumar Jakhar has been projecting the leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah as the solution to Punjab’s security and governance problems. Yet recent political history raises a key question. In the last Assembly election, the BJP struggled to present a strong local face and tried to ride on the influence of Captain Amarinder Singh, but that experiment failed to excite voters. The much-discussed "Hindutva wave" that worked in states like Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand also failed to gain traction in Punjab, where many voters instead chose to test Arvind Kejriwal’s governance model focused on education, health, water and power.
