The voters of Punjab have made their leadership choices very clear with the defeat of candidates of the ruling party and other mainstream political parties in Punjab in the Sangrur Lok Sabha by-election, the question still remains as to what exactly they were looking for. . Voted for the victory for Simranjit Singh Mann, leader of the radical minded Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar).
Simranjit Singh Mann’s radical stand is no secret to the public. While he has already been a Member of Parliament twice, once from Tarn Taran and the second time from Sangrur, this is the third time that he has been elected to the Lower House of Parliament from a Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab, and the second time from Sangrur. He had earlier lost five assembly elections and one Lok Sabha election.
A supporter of Khalistan, Mann joined the Indian Police Service in 1967. He served as SSP Ferozepur, SSP Faridkot, Deputy Director, Vigilance Bureau, Chandigarh, Commandant of CISF, Bombay and many more. He led several successful actions against Pakistani drug smugglers, but resigned from the Indian Police Service in 1984 in protest of Operation Blue Star.
Apart from voters’ discontent against AAP MLAs and Rajya Sabha candidates who apparently failed to represent the constituency, and resulting disenchantment with the ruling party, the killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who allegedly killed Mann. promised his support. Perhaps this is what drove the voters in his favor. Apart from this, Mann termed controversial actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu as a martyr who died in an accident. Deep Sidhu was an accused in the 2021 Republic Day violence at the Red Fort during the farmers’ protest.
Mann has always been seen as a strong supporter of Khalistan. Although there are many sedition cases registered against him, he has not been convicted in any of these so far. While Punjab is still pondering over the exact reasons behind Mann’s victory, ‘Is the radical mentality taking over the voters hungry for change?’ It is a question that demands an answer.
If yes, who is responsible for this? The ‘Freedom March’ organized by radical organizations in Amritsar before the anniversary of Operation Blue Star bears testimony to the same. The question that arises is ‘Has the AAP-led government failed to curb crime?’ It is quite clear that the present Punjab Government needs to revamp its working style to win back the trust of the voters. But only time will tell whether they can do this or not.