Cong leans on farmers, drugs, anti-incumbency

Chandigarh: Eyeing to better its 2019 performance, the Punjab Congress concentrated its efforts on issues of farmers, drugs, and anti-incumbency sentiment against both the state and central govts, among others, in the intensely contested Lok Sabha elections.
Both the national and state leadership of the Congress aggressively emphasised these issues in an effort to win over voters and secure their support.
In the 2019 general elections, Congress won eight out of 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state, securing 40.12% vote share, 7.04% more than the 2014 polls. Punjab’s 13 Lok Sabha constituencies will go to the polls in the last phase of the election on June 1.
Congress went all out on the issue of farmers, targeting both the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP govt in Punjab and the BJP-led central govt. The party, in particular, was critical of the BJP accusing it of not only depriving farmers of their rights but also vilifying them and subjecting them to police “brutality”.
In a fervent plea to the electorate of Punjab, a mere 48 hours before polling, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh urged voters to cast their ballots in favour of Congress. He levelled allegations against BJP, claiming that they had deliberately targeted “Punjab, Punjabis, and Punjabiyat”. The crux of Dr Singh’s appeal centred around the alleged mistreatment of farmers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The former Prime Minister accused Modi of not only subjecting them to “lathis”and “rubber bullets” but also of launching a verbal assault on the farming community by referring to them as “andolanjeevis and parjeevis (parasites)” during a parliamentary session.
Congress highlighted its support for the farmers’ protest that lasted a year at the Delhi borders against the three farm laws that have since been repealed. The party also backed the second phase of the agitation organised by the farm unions on the Punjab-Haryana borders to pressure the central govt to address issues like the MSP, debt relief, and electricity tariffs.
Prof Mohammed Khalid, a political observer, held that Congress successfully highlighted the plight of farmers and BJP leaders were facing extensive demonstrations, particularly in rural areas. However, the question remains whether this outpouring of discontent will translate into votes. Prof Khalid drew attention to the potential drawback of the current circumstances, noting that “the prevailing situation has created an urban-rural divide”.
AAP and Congress, despite being allies in the INDIA bloc at the national level, are competing against each other in Punjab. Congress, as the main opposition, has criticised the Mann govt for its inability to address long-standing issues like drug addiction, joblessness, illegal mining, and corruption.
According to Prof Ashutosh Kumar, a political analyst from Panjab University, Congress’s choice to contest independently in Punjab could be advantageous to the party. He elaborated that although AAP had promised to eliminate drugs, corruption, and mafias, there had been minimal changes on the ground. “Anti-incumbency votes might go to Congress,” opined Prof Kumar.