Jakhar’s Plain-Speaking Confounds BJP

On 27 Sep, rumors surfaced that Panjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar had resigned. BJP denied the news. On 30 Sep, Jakhar skipped a state BJP meeting, like he had earlier skipped the inauguration of the party’s membership drive. On 3 Oct, The Tribune said Jakhar conveyed to Indian PM Narendra Modi that there was a need to change the BJP’s and Center’s approach to issues concerning Panjab. ‘Nazariya badalney ki zaroorat hai, nazaarey apney aap badal jayenge’ (It is important to change the outlook towards Panjab, the situation will change on its own). He said, sentimental matters involving Panjabis must be addressed on priority. He pressed for urgent redressal of farmers’ issues and review of current strategy to grant frequent paroles to rape and murder convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim. He flagged other decisions including an offer of 10-acre land to Haryana in Chandigarh to build a Vidhan Sabha (assembly, a move he thought would dilute Panjab’s claim on capital Chandigarh); rise in central share of officers in the Chandigarh administration leading to reduction in the share of officers from Panjab, and tweaking the membership of Bhakra Beas Management Board to Panjab’s disadvantage. Jakhar’s discomfort with newly inducted and appointed union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu is well-known. Jakhar is the only politician in Panjab to head state units of INC and BJP. In INC, he became a fall guy twice before being pushed out of the race for the CM’s post. He left his posts twice in 2015 and 2021 — first as the leader of opposition and then as Panjab INC chief. A centralized BJP does not tolerate plain-speaking from grassroots; it is yet to be seen what it does with Jakhar.