Stage set for clash between two Jat clan scions
HISTORY REVISITED 15 years after actor Dharmendra refused to contest against former Lok Sabha speaker Balram Jakhar, their sons are pitted against each other in erstwhile Congress stronghold that changed hues to saffron after Vinod Khanna called it ‘mera
GURDASPUR: In one of the most closely-watched contests, history is revisiting Punjab’s two clans. The first thing film veteran Dharmendra did on reaching Gurdaspur last week to campaign for his son, actor Sunny Deol, was to disarm the opposition. “I had refused to contest against former Lok Sabha speaker Balram Jakhar from Churu in Rajasthan in 2004. Had I known his son was pitted against mine, I would have asked Sunny not to contest,” the former Bikaner MP said.
A battle-hardened politician, state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar thanked Dharmendra for the warm praise, but is sparing Sunny no barbs and calls him a “fading star”. Stage is set for a direct clash between the two Jat scions uncannily on lines of Deol’s punchline from “Jo Bole So Nihal” – No if, no but, sirf jat!
Amid high profile candidates, “aam aadmi” from Gurdaspur, Peter Masih, AAP nominee and the only Christian to be fielded by any party in Punjab, is almost invisible.
A long-time Congress stronghold — Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder won the seat five times — Gurdaspur acquired a saffron hue after actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna called it “mera gaon, mera desh” in 1998 and won it four times. With strong presence in six — Pathankot, Sujanpur, Bhoa, Dinanagar, Batala and Gurdaspur – of the nine assembly seats, Hindus play a decisive role in choosing the winner. In the rural belt comprising Dera Baba Nanak, Fatehgarh Churian and Qadian, Sikh vote matters.
BJP’S BANE: FALLEN AKALI STALWARTS
The Congress fortunes have started looking up in the segment after 2017 state polls when anti-incumbency against the ruling Akali Dal was most pronounced in Majha. Done and dusted, all Akali stalwarts from Gurdaspur such as Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Sucha Singh Langah and Sewa Singh Sekhwan lost. Months later, Jakhar’s landslide win after Khanna’s death was propelled by swing of the Sikh vote on seats contested by the Akali Dal.
The BJP’s main challenge once again will be seats contested by its ally. Both have one MLA each. The BJP is counting on Deol’s star appeal and PM Narendra Modi’s sway over Hindu votes. Sensing this, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh upped the stakes by declaring Jakhar as the future CM — an astute move to buff up Jakhar’s image and court the Hindu electorate.
THE VOTE-CATCHERS
Jakhar’s biggest vote-catchers are the seven MLAs, among them three ministers. But there are already undercurrents of anti-incumbency against them. Rural development minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa warns and woos voters in the same breath.
“Tuwadiya sarka naliya Captain ya Bajwa ne bananiya ne, Modi ne nai (your roads and drains will be constructed by the CM and me, not Modi),” Bajwa tells voters, adding: “This election is on PM’s performance. You can vent your ire against us in 2022 state polls.”
But it is poll promise of one job, per family made by Amarinder before polls that rankles villagers the most. Jakhar admits joblessness is the biggest issue in the border district. “I have created 5,000 jobs in just 16 months. It was just a trailer. The film has yet to start. If I win, I will generate 25,000 more jobs in five years,” he tells voters. Striking at Balakot poll pitch of the BJP, he adds: “We need peace on the borders not war to create more jobs.”
CONTRASTING STYLES
The party strategies and campaign styles of Deol and Jakhar are contrasting. Focusing on the rural vote, Jakhar starts his day ploughing village to village, addressing 15 formal meetings and a few informal ones. The BJP campaign is being micromanaged by Delhi. Feeling leftout, local Akali-BJP leaders are calling their candidate “inaccessible”.
Sunny is relying mainly on roadshows, but says he does not just wave from sunroof of his luxury SUV.
“I also interact with people. The huge response has brought a sense of responsibility. I have to come up to their expectations,” he says. The 59-year-old actor is an instant hit with youth and women. In Batala, a woman climbs his SUV and kisses him on the cheek. Sunny ensures she gets down safely as crowds cheer him on.
Majha loves a dare and a fight. And Gurdaspur has all the makings of a blockbuster — a border district, “Border” hero and script based around crossborder airstrikes of PM Modi. Sunny is selling himself as a patriot not politician. Jakhar questions it citing his ignorance of Balakot airstrikes. In the battle of nerves, Sunny has so far kept his cool. His whistle-worthy dialogues are only for the crowds. Or is the actor waiting to fire the last shot, like in his runaway hit, Border. “Pehli goli woh chalayega,
aur aakhri goli hum (they will fire the first shot, we the last).”