On March 16, Bhagwant Mann will complete three years as Punjab’s Chief Minister. Over these three years, Mann has fought multiple battles, particularly the one about his “authority” that was claimed to be “outsourced” to Delhi.
National parties do assert their authority over their chief ministers whether it is the Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, in Mann’s case, the “central” interference was believed to be at its peak.
But, not anymore. Mann has come of age in the proverbial manner. Not only has he started asserting his “own” authority but has gone ahead with taking firm and strong decisions that normally most politicians would avoid.
His handling of the farmers’ and the revenue officials’ agitation is exemplary, as he has refused to succumb to the collective pressure and blackmail. Normally, under such circumstances the governments cave in to the demands from such “pressure groups” who claim to pursue a “great and grand” cause.
It may not be inappropriate to suggest that Chief Minister Mann has exhibited exemplary guts in taking on the protesting farmers head on. He has also faced criticism from opposition political parties, which are even describing Mann’s actions as “murder” of democracy. Some farmer leaders have equated Mann with Prime Minister Modi alleging that like the Prime Minister, he (Mann) was behaving like a “dictator”.
Some farm organisations have been protesting for 13 months now. They have blocked two entry/ exit points to the state, virtually choking it and cutting it off from rest of the country.
This has been causing a lot of harassment to lakhs of people every day. Besides, there is a heavy economic cost to this. Industry and trade have been hit the worst. The farm leaders are not prepared to lift the blockade. So much so, as if blocking entry/ exit points was not enough, some farm organisations have decided to lay siege on the state capital Chandigarh also.
Describing Mann as a dictator by some farmer leaders is a classic example of kettle calling the pot black. It is actually the “dictatorship of the unelected”.
The agitating farmer leaders have choked Punjab for over a year now. Feeling safe and secure in the knowledge that the government cannot do anything with them, they remain obstinately stubborn and have hardly any concern for other people, including the state’s economy.
It is after a long time that any government in Punjab has exerted its authority for the right cause and right reasons.
Farmers do have a right to protest in a democratic manner. But they do not have any right to disturb and disrupt the common public. By putting the protesting farmer leaders behind bars, the government has done what it is expected to do; bring order and prevent chaos and anarchy. Those holding the state to ransom do not even enjoy the support of all the farmers’ unions, leave aside the common people.
The next step for the Mann government should be to ensure that the blockades on the Shambhu Border and the Khanauri Border are removed. The public and the state cannot be made to suffer, because of the “organised blackmail” by a group of people.
Similarly, the Chief Minister also asserted his authority in dealing with the “strike”, which again was an “organised” blackmail by the revenue officials following action against some of them on the charges of corruption.
This had become a standard practice in Punjab. Whenever any action on corruption charges was taken against any of the revenue officials, they would go on mass leave in protest. Most of the governments would succumb to the pressure. This only encouraged corruption.
For the first time, the government, obviously on the directions of Chief Minister Mann, took the bull by its horns. The government suspended 15 protesting officials while transferring about 250 others.
Besides, the government withdrew property registration work from the revenue officials like the tehsildars and naib-tehsildars and assigned the job to specially-deputed PCS officers and ‘kanungos’.
This had never happened in the past. Realising the firm resolve of the government, the revenue officials eventually fell in line and they withdrew the strike and resumed their duties.
Also read: Never too late: Punjab crackdown on 'organised blackmail'
The Chief Minister has rightly said that Punjab has come to be known as a “dharna state”, with farmers blocking roads and rails at the drop of a hat. The Chief Minister has successfully handled the revenue officials’ strike. Now he has to handle the farmers’ agitation the same way.
He has already conveyed a clear and stern message that harassment to the public cannot be tolerated at any cost. He must take his initiative of restoring public order to its logical conclusion.
Leaders are remembered not for taking populist initiatives, but unpopular decisions for the public good.
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