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‘Capt colluded with Akalis... govt now working for people’: Punjab CM Channi
Channi says Amarinder promised a lot of things, particularly on sacrilege and drugs front but did not make earnest efforts to ensure justice. The Punjab chief minister says after his elevation to the top post, the narrative has started changing in the state and the Congress is back in the game
Catapulted as Punjab’s first Dalit chief minister after Captain Amarinder Singh’s unceremonious exit, Charanjit Singh Channi, 58, has come into his own sooner than many had expected. In his first sit-down interview on Sunday, Channi went ballistic on Amarinder, struck a conciliatory tone towards state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, and spoke passionately about his humble background. Edited excerpts:
What has changed in Punjab since you took over as chief minister on September 20?
My basic focus is to fulfil the promises our party made in 2017. When Captain sahib (Amarinder Singh) was the CM, he had a tacit pact with Akalis. He would not touch the promises which hurt the Badals. Then, we had to fight against Amarinder. We told the high command that remove him, otherwise the Congress has no chance in Punjab. Finally, he was ousted, I got the chance. The biggest change since then is that people feel that our government has now started functioning.
You are the first Dalit leader to head Punjab since 1947. What went in your favour?
I don’t see my elevation through the Dalit prism. I represent the ‘aam lok’. In Punjab, the poor, irrespective of his or her caste, has lived with an inferiority complex. I have ended that complex.
But some quarters have seen your elevation as political tokenism?
When I took over, my rivals would say “ehne kya karna” (what can he do), and now they say “ehda ki kariye” (what do we do about him). They did not know that I am a grassroots man who understands the issues that really matter to common citizens, and can solve them. Now, when issues have started getting resolved, my opponents are baffled.
How will you overcome the anti-incumbency of the Amarinder government ?
People of Punjab are wise. They can forgive anything but not deception. Amarinder promised a lot of things, particularly on sacrilege and drugs. Had he tried to fulfil these promises and not succeeded, the public would have believed that he at least tried. Uhna di niyat vich badniyati aa gayee (his intent got vitiated). He colluded with the accused and did not take things forward.
What kind of challenge do you expect from the SAD-BSP alliance which has done well before?
It is not a pact, but a deception on BSP. On paper, they have left 20 seats to BSP. But many urban seats such as Pathankot, Hoshiarpur and Mohali have no BSP base. In reality, SAD has left them for BJP. Earlier, the Dalits were feeling powerless and inferior, and now when I am there to make them feel superior why would they go with Akalis or the BSP?
How has your elevation changed the dynamic of Dalit politics in Punjab?
The BJP was promising to usher ‘yug parivartan’ by making a Dalit their chief minister. But that has already happened. Where is the need for a new ‘yug parivartan’ now?
You have announced a slew of populist decisions which will cost the state thousands of crores. How are you going to garner resources?
I’m taking every step after thorough consultation and brainstorming. Take, for example, the power tariff. The previous governments had raised the tariff to a level that it was eating Punjab like a termite. That is why I have scrapped all the PPAs and we will re-determine the tariff all over again. We will procure cheap power to supply it cheap. We have slashed the petrol price by ₹10 per litre. We have not squandered the state exchequer, rather we are rebuilding it.
But Sidhu is still coming down hard on your government on justice in sacrilege and police firing cases and for action against the big fish in drug rackets.
The sacrilege case has progressed beyond what it was during the Captain government, which had almost derailed it. After we got the nod from the high court, the SIT has interrogated the Dera Sacha Sauda head in the Rohtak jail. As far as the drug issue goes, the 2018 report of the SIT remains in a sealed cover with the high court. Captain saab had got it buried due to his secret collusion with (Bikram Singh) Majithia. Now, the court has said we will open it on November 18.
Another major irritant for Sidhu has been the appointment of APS Deol and Iqbal Preet Singh Sihota as the AG and DGP, respectively. You replaced Deol after the PCC chief asked you to choose between him or the officers?
Look, we are in a war. We have to keep in mind the larger issues of Punjab and not get stuck on minor issues. Whether advocate general is A or B or C, it doesn’t matter much. What matters is the chief minister’s will. Capt Amarinder Singh did not want to act on the sacrilege and drug issues, so his legal and police officials kept them in limbo.
How will Captain’s move to break away and form a separate party impact the Congress in the election?
This is not the first time he has left the party. He did so in 1984 before returning to the Congress and was made state president. He always wants to stay on top and can’t work along with others. His exit will rather benefit Congress.
If the Congress comes back to power, will you continue to be CM?
No, I am not a candidate for the post of CM again. It is for the party to decide.
Punjab passed a resolution rejecting the Centre’s notification on extension of the BSF’s jurisdiction. Some quarters see your anti-Centrism as related to the upcoming polls?
They can assist in a 5km area; why 15km? After the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K, the Modi government has got emboldened and is trying to encroach on Punjab’s rights. It is an assault on the country’s federal structure.
The farmer protest will be one year old next week. How will it resonate in the Punjab elections?
It is difficult to predict how it will play out in the assemby polls. But the Centre’s intransigence is damaging Punjab. We are wholeheartedly standing with the farmers.
This season, the Punjab stubble fires leapt to a new high, causing massive pollution. But your government has soft-pedalled and taken no penal action against violators?
We have tried our best and even counselled farmers. They are already suffering a lot. How can we register FIRs and put them in the lock-up?
Your comments in the assembly calling the RSS “an enemy of Punjab” have evoked a strong reaction from the right wing body.
I didn’t say it in that sense. Any organisation has good and bad elements. RSS has certain ideologies which people don’t like and are not pro-Punjab. RSS on its own does good.
