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?
Sukhbir Singh Badal has openly targeted Amritpal Singh and ‘Waris Punjab De’, while Amritpal’s camp is trying to build its own political base among sections of the Panthic electorate. But here’s the uncomfortable question for Sukhbir Singh Badal: if Amritpal Singh can pull away even a part of SAD’s traditional Panthic base, does that expose how much ground the Badal-led SAD has already lost ? Or has Amritpal finally emerged as the challenge SAD cannot dismiss ?
सुखबीर सिंह बादल ने अमृतपाल सिंह और ‘वारिस पंजाब दे’ पर खुलकर निशाना साधा है, वहीं अमृतपाल का खेमा पंथक मतदाताओं के एक हिस्से के बीच अपना राजनीतिक आधार बनाने की कोशिश कर रहा है। लेकिन सुखबीर सिंह बादल के लिए असहज सवाल यह है: अगर अमृतपाल सिंह अकाली दल के पारंपरिक पंथक आधार का एक हिस्सा भी अपने साथ ले जाते हैं, तो क्या यह दिखाएगा कि बादल के नेतृत्व वाला अकाली दल पहले ही कितना राजनीतिक आधार खो चुका है ? या अमृतपाल अब ऐसी चुनौती बन चुके हैं जिसे अकाली दल नजरअंदाज नहीं कर सकता ?
Sukhbir Singh Badal has sharply attacked ‘Waris Punjab De’ and Amritpal Singh, accusing the group of trying to split the Sikh vote and weaken the Shiromani Akali Dal. The contest has become more complicated as Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) and other Panthic forces also seek space. In the 2022 Assembly election, Aam Aadmi Party won 10 of the 15 identified Panthic seats in the Majha belt, while the Shiromani Akali Dal won only one. Is Sukhbir Singh Badal’s aggressive attack on Waris Punjab De really about protecting Panthic politics or does it show how much political ground the Shiromani Akali Dal has lost in its traditional space ?
