Former Punjab Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amarinder Singh is known for frank and unfiltered talk. He does not hide his opinion even if it goes against the official party line. When India carried out surgical strikes in retaliation to Pulwama terror attack, he was the only Congress leader to hail and support it, while the party officially remained non-committal. Even while being in the Congress, he challenged the “high command” over ignoring the senior leaders. He once publicly asked, should the senior leaders pack up and sit at home? The question was directed at Rahul Gandhi. It is a separate story that now he believes the Congress would take the opinion of everyone.
A Habit of Speaking Truth to Power
While in the BJP, he remains true to his character-frank and forthright. When the BJP appointed Kewal Singh Dhillon, his one time close confidante, as the Punjab president, it was widely speculated and even reported that he (Amarinder) had a role in Dhillon’s appointment. That was a mere conjecture based on the once close relationship between the two. Amarinder interrupted the narrative immediately. He went on record saying that he had no role in Dhillon’s appointment. That party had not asked him and if he had been asked, he would have suggested someone better. He said, while Dhillon remains a friend, he is not capable to discharge the responsibility he has been assigned with.
Amarinder’s Reservations About the Appointment
Amarinder for sure is speaking on his own, as he is known for speaking out his mind. At the same time the entire rank and file of the traditional BJP cadre is endorsing the stand he has taken. Dhillon is neither known to be an organizer nor an orator, nor has he many years in the BJP. Besides, he is already 76, an age when the BJP benches most of its leaders to the “Marg Darshak Mandal”, a “retirement home”.
Why the Traditional BJP Cadre Remains Unconvinced
Earlier, Dhillon managed to be in politics, primarily because of his proximity with Amarinder. He has lost four consecutive elections he contested-two from the Congress and two from the BJP since 2017. By appointing Dhillon, a Jatt Sikh, as the state president, the BJP appeared to counter a narrative that was being built up in Punjab that it was using the Haryana model in the state and was trying to sideline and marginalize the powerful Jatt Sikhs. With a Jatt Sikh president in Punjab now, the party can neutralise that argument.
The Jatt Sikh Calculation Behind the Appointment
But the party could still have picked someone from the Jatt Sikh community from within its traditional ranks. After all, Dhillon is not really exceptional. Harjit Singh Grewal, a long time BJP veteran from Punjab, would not have been a bad choice either.
The Silent Resentment Within Punjab BJP
Given the command and authority the BJP’s high command wields, it is impossible for anyone to go on record to voice his/her dissent against an “outsider’s” appointment as the state party president. Otherwise, there is considerable unease and discomfort among the party’s rank and file, both among the cadres and the leaders, over the appointment of someone who is not even familiar with the entire party set up.
The Jakhar Contrast
Dhillon is the second former Congressman to have been appointed as the Punjab BJP president in a row. He was preceded by Sunil Jakhar. But Jakhar, unlike Dhillon, was a known face and quite an articulate and aggressive leader. He enjoyed wide acceptability across Punjab among all sections of people. This can be judged from the fact that when the Congress removed Amarinder Singh as the Chief Minister in 2021, a majority of party MLAs favoured Jakhar as the CM. The party high command overlooked the MLAs’ views and appointed Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit Sikh. Jakhar was disheartened that he was denied the Chief Ministerial position just because he was not a Sikh. He resigned and later joined the BJP.
A Message Resonating Beyond Amarinder
The BJP leadership can ignore Amarinder’s dissenting notes at its own risk. Amarinder may not be connected with the BJP’s rank and file, but a majority of the traditional cadres and leaders resonate his views and sentiments that there could always have been a better choice from within the BJP’s own ranks. The party does not have any dearth of leaders who could be put at the helm.
