While it is widely believed, and rightly so, that caste politics plays an important role in states like Bihar, in Punjab the caste factor is no less. It is not noticed In Punjab because the power has primarily remained within the dominant Jatt Sikh community irrespective of the fact which party or alliance has been in power. Caste does play an important role in Punjab’s politics, but in a subtle way and not the brutal and blatant manner as in Bihar.
Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi stirred a hornet’s nest recently, alleging that the Dalits were ignored in the Congress. During a programme of the Scheduled Caste Department of the AICC here recently, Channi referred to the PCC president, the Congress Legislative Party leader and the Punjab Mahila Congress, all belonging to the upper castes. Channi apparently spoke in the spur of the moment, as he was addressing a programme of the Dalits only, without realising the impact his words will have.
Chairman of the AICC’s SC Department Rajendra Gautam was presiding over the programme. Gautam is known for his aggressive approach when it comes to raising the issues of the Dalits. But he has always targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party and at times the Aam Aadmi Party also, a party he was earlier with. In a surcharged “pro-Dalit” atmosphere, Channi also went with the flow, and in the process targeted his own party for ignoring the Dalits.
All the three positions Channi referred to are being held by the dominant Jatt Sikh community in the state Congress. Although he did not mention the Jatt Sikhs directly, and only used the words “upper castes”, it was interpreted and rightly so, that he had referred to the Jatt Sikhs. It goes without saying that the Jatt Sikhs have dominated the entire political system in Punjab across all political parties whether the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and now Aam Aadmi Party. The BJP has so far been an exception because the party has very limited footprints in the rural areas among the Jatt Sikhs. But the current state president of the party Sunil Jakhar is a Hindu.
Much against the general impression that the caste factor does not play much in Punjab, it actually does. There are about 34 per cent Dalits in Punjab, while some estimates suggest it may be more. The Dalits dominate the Doaba region, where their population is more than 40 per cent. The Dalits have mostly voted and supported the Congress consistently. There have been some prominent Dalit leaders in the past. However, after Channi became the chief minister, he overshadowed them all.
When the Congress removed Capt Amarinder Singh as the Punjab chief minister in September 2021, Channi became a surprise successor. While majority of the MLAs that time favoured Sunil Jakhar to succeed Amarinder, the high command avoided appointing him as he was not a “Sikh”. This deeply hurt Jakhar, a second generation dyed-in-wool Congressman and secular to the core. He eventually resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP and is currently the state president of the party. He holds the unique distinction of being the state president of both the Congress as well as the BJP.
Interestingly, Jakhar did not face any opposition from any Sikh, but by Ambika Soni, a prominent Hindu leader from Punjab. She reportedly prevailed over the party high command that notwithstanding the MLAs’ choice, Punjab should have a turbaned leader as the chief minister. This denied Jakhar the chief ministership despite having the support of the MLAs.
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The party zeroed in on Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa to be appointed as the chief minister as he was the second choice of the legislators after Jakhar. However, for some unexplained reasons, the party high command chose Channi as the chief minister. He was himself shocked over the announcement.
That time the party appeared to keep in consideration his Dalit background, hoping that it can capitalise on it. The party did get benefited with his appointment, but it also had an adverse impact. The party fared well in the Dalit-dominated Doaba region against the AAP tsunami that stuck Punjab in 2022, but it did quite bad in the Jatt-dominated Malwa and Majha regions.
In the Malwa region, the Congress was completely wiped out with the lone exception of Gidderbaha from where Amarinder Singh Raja Warring won with a narrow margin. In the Majha region, the party could win just five seats and remaining 12 seats it won from the Doaba region, which was only because of the Channi factor.
While the party did perform better in the Doaba region, thanks to Channi, its historically devastating performance in the Malwa and Majha regions was also attributed to Channi as the Jatt Sikh electorate did not accept him as the chief minister.
With Channi’s recent statement where he referred to the upper castes pocketing all important positions in the party, there is a considerable resentment among the upper caste cadres, particularly the Jatt Sikh community, which otherwise also was not very fond of him. Channi’s statement could not have come at a wrong time when the party high command was understood to be considering giving him important responsibility. About two dozen leaders from the state had submitted signatures in his favour. It can be anybody’s guess as at whose behest the signatures were submitted.
Despite the widespread outcry over what he said, the party high command cannot do anything against Channi, lest it risks losing the huge Dalit vote bank. Channi is aware of his strength. He has become a rallying point for the Dalits, who have supported him and have been identifying with him. His becoming the chief minister gave them a feeling of pride, as it was for the first time that there was a Dalit chief minister in Punjab.
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