New Delhi, Jan 14| 16: On Thursday, at the Maghi Mela in Muktsar, Punjab, he wore a green pullover and a basanti (saffron) turban to launch his party’s campaign for the elections next year. In a state synonymous with the green revolution and songs of martyrdom with ‘Basanti Chola’ as the theme, the two colours aptly capture the spirit, culture, history and geography of Punjab. And Kejriwal was trying to convey that he is dyed in the colours of Punjab, every bit the Punjab da future that his supporters are now calling him. Kejriwal’s party is considered the front-runner in the battle for Punjab. The chatter in the pinds and discussions in the cities suggests his is the party to beat in the Assembly election. And the Maghi Mela proved it. At the Maghi (after the lunar month of Magh) Mela in Muktsar, the Akali Dal, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party went head to head, organising rallies within metres of each other to showcase their strength ahead of the Assembly elections next year. Arvind Kejriwal. File photo. AFPArvind Kejriwal. File photo. AFP Lakhs of people come from all over Punjab to the Maghi (from lunar month Magh) festival to bathe in the holy waters here. In popular perception, the Maghi rallies are a serious affair: they are considered mini elections and pointers to the state’s political future. Since the party with the biggest crowd is generally considered the front-runner, major political parties hire acres of space to gather their supporters under their tents. This year the Akalis reportedly booked an optimistic 60 acres, the AAP an audacious 40 acres and the Congress, too, 40 acres. Kejriwal, who was camping in Punjab since Wednesday, must have gone back to Delhi brimming with hope. “If elections are held in Punjab tomorrow, we will sweep them,” he said at his party’s rally, his optimism ignited by the soaring crowd that had turned Muktsar into a sea of jhadoo. In many ways, there could not have been a better battle ground for the three parties than Muktsar, where the story of human liberation and redemption–the two recurring themes of current Punjab politics–began 310 years ago. The town was originally known as Khidrane De Dhab. But, when an handful of Sikhs under Guru Gobind Singh defeated a huge army of the Mughals here in 1705, it was renamed Muktsar (a liberated city). In the same battle, interestingly, 40 Sikhs who had earlier deserted Guru Gobind Singh, returned to join the battle and got mukti (liberation and redemption) from their guilt. In the run up to the elections, Punjab is yet again looking for freedom from the tyranny of unemployment, dynastic rule and drug cartels that have turned the state’s youth into addicts. It is waiting for yet another battle of Muktsar. With his intuitive sense for politics, Kejriwal has captured the themes of liberation and redemption, and the imagination of the state’s youth. Kejriwal has targeted the drug mafia, threatening to send politicians running and abetting the trade to jail.
Source: PTI
