Territory Chasm: AAP's Delhi-fication of Punjab leads to internal rumblings, conflict in teams

New Delhi: A quaint walled residential complex in Sector 39A in south Chandigarh is home to top ministers and officials of the Punjab government. Uniformly marked white boards point to numbers of red-brick single storey bungalows in the complex. There is no name plate outside bungalow number 926. When you enquire if it is home to former Delhi chief minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia, two guards from the neighbouring home helpfully say, "This is Satyendra Jain's kothi. Sisodia ji stays in 960 on the other side." A drive past the Circuit House brings you to bungalow number 960, which bears the name plate of minister Ravjot Singh. A member of the staff confirms the bungalow is occupied by Sisodia but he was in Delhi.

At the complex, the government staff volunteer information that is common knowledge in Punjab's political circles--renovation at Singh's bungalow was complete and he was about to move in when the party directed him to make way for Sisodia. This has been the arrangement since Sisodia was named the incharge and Jain co-incharge of AAP's Punjab affairs on March 21. Five months after AAP lost the Delhi assembly elections, Punjab has witnessed a complete takeover by the Delhi leadership leading to a chasm between the Delhi and Punjab leadership. ET tracked the new power centres in Punjab, the changing priorities of governance, why Punjab cadre is unhappy and how the next 18 months in Punjab are crucial for the fledgling party as it fights for survival.

DELHI TAKES OVER PUNJAB


On February 8, Delhi assembly elections were declared and AAP suffered a rout. Within three days, on February 11, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal met Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and his Cabinet. This was a clear signal that party's priority was Punjab, the only state AAP is in power. The entire leadership started spending more time in Punjab and new power centres evolved. The formal beginning came when Punjab affairs were entrusted to Sisodia and Jain. Punjab government officials, who did not wish to be identified, told this correspondent that the ministries have been evenly divided between the two leaders who are spearheading policy initiatives. Sisodia is handling key portfolios like finance and education and Jain has health and social welfare related portfolios.

Mann is being criticised for ceding ground to the Delhi leadership. BJP's state Punjab chief Sunil Jakhar terms Mann as "de facto CM" and Kejriwal as "super CM". "The entire governance has been outsourced. This is the first time that Cabinet meetings are taking place not in the CM's office but at the CM's residence. This gives enough leeway for outsiders to attend these meetings. It is not Mann who is presiding over the Cabinet but Kejriwal and Sisodia," says Jakhar.

Punjab has formed a Punjab Development Commission (PDC) as an "action-based think tank" on the pattern of the Delhi Development Commission. PDC has been instrumental in setting up a Fast Track Punjab portal, which aims to simplify government clearances for new investors. But AAP's Punjab leaders view it as another way of rehabilitating Delhi's netas and consultants associated with the central leadership. AAP's former spokesperson Iqbal Singh says, "If you look at the boards and commissions across Punjab, they are filled with Delhi's consultants. They are running the show."

Neel Garg, AAP Punjab's senior spokesperson and chairman of Punjab Medium Industry Development Board, defends Delhi leadership's over-arching influence on the state. "Delhi is getting involved in a guidance role. When elections take place, it is the party that goes for polls not the government. The central leadership is guiding the party how to run police matters. It is for the benefit of Punjab." Garg said there was no rift between Delhi and Punjab leadership. "If you want Punjab to progress, you need to attract talent. Our appointments in different boards and commissions are temporary consultants who specialise in their subjects," said Garg.

Earlier, Punjab affairs had been entrusted to Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak. However, Chadha is now focusing on creating a profile separate from his party and Pathak is incharge of the party in Chhattisgarh.

CADRE vs CADRE

Vijay Nair, AAP's communications incharge and an accused in the Delhi liquor policy scam, has emerged as another power centre. He has also come in the Delhi vs Punjab fight within AAP. Party sources said in the middle of the Ludhiana West by-election, eight members of Mann's social media team were asked to resign. A source said, "This was done by Nair, who said the team's conduct was not above board." Within days, Punjab leadership sought the resignation of two members of Nair's team involved in media management on the grounds of corruption. "The logic was -- you got Punjab people sacked, we will drive Delhi people out," said the source quoted above.

RATE OF CORRUPTION

There is an angst within the cadre which feels the party is no longer what they worked for, especially the anti-corruption plank. "The demand for Lokpal was the mainstay of the movement that brought AAP into existence. Where is Lokpal now that AAP is in government," asks Singh. Punjab's industry owners openly complain of "rate of corruption" going up. A Ludhiana-based hosiery unit owner told ET, "The rate of corruption has gone up four or five times. Earlier, just for ease of clearances, four of us industry owners used to pay a liaison person money to get certificates and permissions. There was no illegality but just to expedite the process. Now the person is charging 50% more." Garg, however, contends that since corruption has become more difficult, the rate may be higher. "The government remains committed to fighting corruption. We have introduced about 15 government services online to weed this out."

COURSE CORRECTION

As the term of the first AAP government in Punjab ends in early 2027, the party has become aware of how difficult the next election could be. In Lok Sabha 2024, AAP won a mere three of the 13 parliamentary seats, as compared to Congress' seven. The party has started course correction on its part. Drug menace - an emotive issue - has been taken head-on. The government has launched "Yudh Nashian Virudh" (War Against Drugs) campaign. In 120 days, the police apprehended 19,735 smugglers.

The debt-ridden Punjab government is desperately looking for investments to fund its welfare initiatives. So far, Tata Steel's plant in Ludhiana is the only big-ticket investment AAP-ruled Punjab can boast of. The state government has now moved to address this. It has introduced the land pooling scheme for planned development of its cities. The industry is upbeat with the recent initiatives like Fast Track Punjab portal. Amit Jain, chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Punjab, says, "The new policy initiatives are very encouraging. The government has addressed the long-standing demands of the industry by introducing a single window clearance system. Though it is early to see if these systems will work or not, this is a big step in the right direction."

AAP has its task cut out for the next 18 months -- build an organisation, win back its cadre and hit the ground running in Punjab.