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’s well-attended rally in Qadian, packed with major welfare promises, has turned the political spotlight on Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa’s home turf. With Akali Dal likely to field Guriqbal Singh Mahal, who gave Bajwa a tough fight in 2022 and BJP leader Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa also expected to stake a claim from the same seat, the contest in Qadian is shaping up to be a high-stakes family and multi-cornered battle ahead of 2027. Was the Akali Dal’s power show in Bajwa’s stronghold a calculated political strike, and is Qadian now becoming the biggest test of Partap Singh Bajwa’s grip on his own turf, and his wider Chief Ministerial ambitions ?
सुखबीर सिंह बादल की कादियां में हुई बड़ी और भीड़भाड़ वाली रैली, जिसमें कई बड़े कल्याणकारी वादे किए गए, ने नेता प्रतिपक्ष प्रताप सिंह बाजवा के गढ़ पर राजनीतिक ध्यान केंद्रित कर दिया है। जहां शिरोमणि अकाली दल गुरइकबाल सिंह महल को मैदान में उतार सकता है, जिन्होंने 2022 में बाजवा को कड़ी टक्कर दी थी, वहीं भाजपा से उनके भाई फतेह जंग सिंह बाजवा की भी दावेदारी करने की चर्चा है। ऐसे में 2027 से पहले कादियां एक हाई-प्रोफाइल और बहुकोणीय मुकाबले का मैदान बनता दिख रहा है। क्या बाजवा के गढ़ में अकाली दल का यह शक्ति प्रदर्शन एक सोची-समझी राजनीतिक रणनीति है, और क्या कादियां अब प्रताप सिंह बाजवा की पकड़ तथा उनके मुख्यमंत्री बनने के दावों की सबसे बड़ी परीक्षा बनने जा रहा है ?
At a time when Punjab continues to face serious challenges like drug abuse, migration, weak industry growth and law-and-order concerns, the BJP is increasingly reaching out to the NRI community, asking them to play a bigger role in the state’s economic revival and governance narrative. But the outreach also raises a deeper political question about priorities and ground strategy. Is the BJP’s growing focus on the Punjabi diaspora a serious economic vision for investment-led revival or a political attempt to build an external support base in a state where its local grassroots strength is still evolving ?
