Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has placed himself on a sticky wicket, voluntarily. He had, maybe he still has, an option to play it safe. Politics is all about resilience, more so, when it comes to dealing with Akal Takht, the highest temporal authority of the Sikhs.
Mann may be feeling justified in defying the Akal Takht diktat against him, that being the elected Chief Minister of the state, the verdict was “arbitrary”. However, the way he has handled the issue, has not won him any friends, rather it has created more enemies for him.
After the Akal Takht issued a verdict and pronounced him guilty after a controversial video surfaced purportedly showing him sprinkling drops of liquor on a photo frame carrying pictures of the 10 Sikh Gurus and trying to urinate in front of a table-top statue of militant preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Mann denied it was him. He should ideally have followed up with the Akal Takht instead of going for open defiance and confrontation. The way he put up his case in the public domain, he should have done it before the Akal Takht and waited for its.
Then followed the botched up “rescue plan” that was apparently conceived and executed by some hyperactive loyalists—there is no dearth of such people in Punjab Police—of the Chief Minister, who managed to procure a “favourable” forensic report from some Gurugram “forensic expert”, who was not authorised to investigate such matters.
Also read: Bhagwant Mann caught on wrong foot on his own pitch
That “rescue” attempt has run into rough weather. Haryana Police have registered an FIR into the procurement of the fake forensic report with the particular expert virtually turning an approver. The reported calls and chats between him and some senior Punjab Police officers are likely to cause further embarrassment for the Chief Minister.
It is surprising how the Aam Aadmi Party leaders accepted the suggestion of “managing” such a quick “forensic report” and that too from some private forensic expert. At best it could have been used as evidence at a later stage. But the way Finance Minister Harpal Cheema and AAP spokesperson Baltej Pannu rushed to the press with the “findings” of the report, instead of providing any clarity, created further doubts in the minds of people, suggesting that there was no application of mind. Particularly, it was intriguing as to how the forensic investigation could be completed within two days. Also, the report circulated by Cheema and Pannu did not mention the name of the forensic lab or that of the expert.
In the entire episode, it is the Chief Minister who has been pushed on to a weak and sticky wicket. The issue is not something about the working of the government. There is nothing official about it. It is something about his personal conduct which has been questioned, that too vis-à-vis the Akal Takht. The public mood is not in favour of Mann. Had he not chosen to defy and confront the Akal Takht, the situation might have been different for him today.
In politics, nobody is indispensable. Mann undoubtedly has been the only and exclusive mascot of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab. It is he who kept the party alive in the state, as it had touched its nadir in the 2019 parliamentary elections when it was reduced to single parliamentary constituency of Sangrur won by Mann, with just 7 per cent vote share. Within three years, the AAP stormed to power with almost 3/4th majority in the Punjab assembly. There was, no doubt, a sentiment for change, but that may not have gotten converted into such a phenomenal victory without Mann.
Even now, Mann remains the only popular face in the AAP, but with a baggage, that too, a heavy one. This concerns the religious sentiments of the Sikhs, who hold Akal Takht in divine esteem. Mann may be crying hoarse that he respects the Akal Takht and his criticism is directed only at the Akal Takht Jathedar, who is a Badal appointee, but it is not finding much resonance with the common people. His political opponents—there is no dearth as Mann has created so many enemies during the last four years—are playing up the public sentiment.
Also read: Will Mann’s defiance push Punjab into ‘church-state’ conflict?
The AAP leadership right from its supremo Arvind Kejriwal always has its hand on the pulse of the people. Kejriwal, so far, has stood by Mann. He apparently is hoping against hope that Mann may weather this storm, which he does not seem to, right now. The AAP central leadership may soon start weighing options, if it has not already started doing so.
During political expediency nobody is indispensable. No matter how much your contribution has been in the past, you are always weighed and valued on what you are going to deliver in future. And instead of being able to contribute, if you start becoming a liability, you will not only be dispensed off, you will be disposed of and discarded within no time. That is harsh political reality. Kejriwal is known for practicing the art of realpolitik in a masterly way. After all, the AAP did not become a national party within a short span of 10 years for nothing. Kejriwal deserves credit for that.
Mann seems to have not only “volunteered” himself to rush to a sticky wicket, but has also been continuously weaving a web around himself he may find very difficult to come out of. Although he does not have many options up his sleeve right now, he can still reconsider his positioning vis-à-vis the Akal Takht by giving up defiance. In matters of faith, one has to be very sensitive, sensible and tactful, irrespective of what your personal faith and belief are.
Punjab is headed for a certain phase of political uncertainty. More so, the AAP government.
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