'Sikh PM' campaign puts Akalis on back foot

The Congress, which was annihilated in the assembly polls two years ago, has a clear edge over the ruling Akali-BJP alliance and is favoured to win a majority of the 13 parliamentary seats in the state.

Among the prominent candidates whose fate would be decided in the last phase of polls include BJP leaders Navjot Sidhu from Amritsar and actor Vinod Khanna from the Gurdaspur constituency.

Both are on a sticky wicket, as their long absence from their constituencies has come to haunt these candidates while facing the electorate.

Famous Punjabi singer Hans Raj Hans is engaged in a tough electoral battle from the Jalandhar constituency.

Much to the chagrin of the Akali, which is fond of projecting itself as the representative of the Sikhs (Panthic party), the Congress was successful in playing the Sikh card as its candidates sought votes to re-elect a central government to be headed by the first Sikh PM. Manmohan Singh himself was opposed to his projection as a “Sikh Prime Minister” while talking to newspersons at the end of the campaigning in Ludhiana, saying he was an Indian first and as PM, he represented all sections of the people.

‘Shaan-e-Punjab’

However, only a few hours ago, while addressing a rally at Amritsar, Singh’s home town, Rahul Gandhi who shared the stage with Singh, described him as “Shaan-e-Punjab” as a Sikh prime minister. 

Fumbling for response, the Akali Dal raked up issue of anti-Sikh riots of 1984, the alleged failure of the PM in addressing to the turban issue in France and the alleged discrimination by the Centre against Punjab to counter the Congress.

The projection of Singh as a “Sikh PM” was clearly a conscious effort by the Congress.
For the first time in any elections in Punjab, Congress candidates preferred Singh’s photo in their campaign posters to the Gandhi family members.

Congress spokesman Manish Tewari, who is contesting from Ludhiana, has flooded the city with posters of his own photo along with Singh with a slogan, “Vote for me and you will vote for Dr Manmohan Singh.”