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Punjab polls: Blow to Haryana-based farm leader Charuni’s political ambitions
“Political outfits of Punjab will run for cover soon after you (farmers) start ‘Mission Punjab’
“Political outfits of Punjab will run for cover soon after you (farmers) start ‘Mission Punjab’. This is my guarantee”: This is how eight months back, farm leader Gurnam Singh Charuni, who had catapulted himself as the prominent face of the farmers’ stir in Haryana, had unveiled his political ambitions, exhorting farmers to fight 2022 Punjab polls to form a ‘kisaan-majdoor sarkaar’ in the border state.
But on Thursday, with their decisive verdict, Punjab voters ruthlessly clipped Charuni’s political wings. Charuni, 61, who is Haryana president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), was himself running for cover. Throughout the day, he remained unavailable for comments.
The 10 candidates in fray in Punjab from his political outfit, Samyukt Sangharsh Party (SSP) together polled 16,904 votes, bringing under cloud the depth of Charuni’s political clout in Haryana.
His rookie party, the SSP had contested the elections in alliance with Balbir Singh Rajewal-led Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) from Samana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Nabha, Ajnala, Dakha, Gurdaspur, Shahkot, Sangrur, Dirba and Bolath. All candidates of Charuni’s party lost their security deposits.
Political observers in the region said the goodwill generated from farmers’ agitation is unlikely to boost political prospects of farm leaders such as Charuni in Haryana where the assembly polls are due in late 2024. They said in Haryana, the cultivators owe allegiance to frontline political parties and support them in polls.
According to Prof Rajender Sharma, who teaches political science at Rohtak’s Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Charuni misread the pulse of Punjab voters due to a false impression that people will back him in the electoral politics. “He may face similar outcomes in Haryana as well,” Sharma said.
Agriculturist-cum-commission agent and tech savvy Charuni has a gift of the gab. Hailing from Charuni Jattan village in Shahbad tehsil of Kurukshetra, Charuni has been nursing political ambitions for many years. He had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Haryana elections from Ladwa in Kurukshetra as an independent candidate.
He had finished a poor eighth and forfeited the security deposits. His wife Balwinder Kaur, had also unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Kurukshetra constituency on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket.
Prof Sharma said, “Charuni’s outfit doesn’t inspire confidence and appears to have a bleak political future in Haryana. However, he has the potential to remain a good farm leader in the coming years.”
Satish Tyagi, a Rohtak-based political commentator, said Charuni miscalculated the extent of cultivators’ support to fulfil his political ambitions. “People had backed him to fight against three farm laws and not to form a political outfit,” Tyagi said, questioning if Charuni has the foresight of an astute leader.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has convened a meeting on March 14 to discuss the outcome of Punjab verdict and decision of farm leaders to plunge into the electoral politics.
“Charuni was farmers’ choice for the agitation and not for politics,” said Inderjit Singh, secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha and a senior SKM leader, in clear indication that knives are now out from within against Charuni.
