It is unfortunate that after Sardar Partap Singh Kairon, the founding father of Punjab and a unique leader with a great vision and a transparent honesty, all the Congress and the non-Congress governments failed to further his vision of making the Punjab state the most  progressive state of India. What he said he dis. He was a man of few words but always true to his words. Finding a leader like him out of the modern day political class is well-nigh impossible. 

Since last three decades, no government could feel the pulse of the common man. Agriculture, the lifeline of the state, is in an appalling state. Mounting debt is killing the land-tillers. Health and education facilities are totally missing.  Most of the industries have shifted their base to the bordering states or compelled to shut down their businesses due the indefinite shortage of power and rampant corruption in the state. A few days ago, ridiculed by Punjab government’ secretarial setup, one NRI from Jalandhar finally decided to shift his hotel project to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

In Punjab, every time on the eve of elections, anti-incumbency factor plays a decisive role since no government from last many years could able to have its pool promises.   So after every five years, a new government with a slightly refined political agenda laced with new synonyms comes. They join with a bang, befool the people, loot the state exchequer and go with hefty personal bank balances and numerous corruption cases on them. The next government comes with double the bash and does the same. Term after term, it is repeating. And it is the common man only who suffers from this political tussle and misfortune.

Recently the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission directed PSEB to charge the farm sector and BPL families because the Punjab government has failed to foot the subsidy bill. Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia advised Mr Badal to review the policy of providing free power to farm sector since it is leading to over-exploitation of ground water. He also suggested Mr Badal to chalk a policy on agro-marketing, crop diversification, genetic improvement of major crops and skill-up gradation through public-private partnership.  Yes, one thing Mr Badal can surely do. He can help the poor farmers who are under heavy debts by pressurizing the centre government to waive off their loans. It will definitely help garner some votes in the coming parliamentary election.

In sum, the Punjab government should do something concrete to provide a normal power supply to both rural and urban sector,  mother the wrecked farm sector,  attract the industry, create infrastructure for good education and health rather than making promises. Only then anti-incumbency factor can be shooed away. 

The end