A poll plank in 2019, sacrilege a non-issue this time

The issue was raked up by both, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2019, however, in 2024 it doesn’t appear to be a key issue

The 2015 sacrilege incidents were a poll plank in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but in 2024, it finds no mention in the politician’s and parties’ campaigns. Three cases — Bargari sacrilege, Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan police firing incidents which happened one after another in 2015 are yet to reach a “logical conclusion” or are stuck in a legal tangle even after almost nine years.

The issue was raked up by both, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2019, however, in 2024 it doesn’t appear to be a key issue

The sacrilege incidents and subsequent police firings played a major role in the 2019 LS polls and are said to have contributed to Congress winning eight out of 13 seats. The Faridkot district, which was the epicentre of these incidents, remained politically sensitive in the 2019 parliamentary polls due to the public outburst.

The issue was raked up by both, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2019, however, in 2024 it doesn’t appear to be a key issue. AAP leaders, including chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who strongly raised these issues and targeted Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Badals in 2019 poll campaign, are now making no reference to these incidents. During recent poll rallies and roadshows in Faridkot, Bathinda and Ferozepur constituencies, Mann targeted Badals for alleged ‘corruption’, ‘dynasty politics’ and ‘using religion” while AAP’s Faridkot candidate Karamjit Anmol is banking on the state government’s achievements and promising to bring major projects to the constituency, especially the ‘agro-based industry’.

Congress leaders, including former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and state chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who had been pressing for justice in the sacrilege and related cases have made no mention of it during the present poll campaign.

Professor Ashutosh Kumar of Panjab University’s department of political science said the political parties see sacrilege and police and firing issues as dying horse now. “Both Congress and AAP had made big promises on these issues, but they are still pending. So, no political party is talking about it now,” he said.

Political analyst Dr Jagrup Singh Sekhon attributes it to the degeneration of politics in Punjab. “The politics of ideology is at the lowest ebb, they (politicians) just want to use the issues to come to power. The successive governments in Punjab have done this on sacrilege and police firing issues. SAD has been marginalised but the issues have not been resolved that’s why no one is talking about them. AAP came into power with a lot of hope but it has become disconnected from the people now,” said Sekhon, ex-head of the political science department, at GNDU.