The Right Badal

The ouster of Manpreet from the cabinet only shows his cousin Sukhbir is not fit to lead

Cousins battling for a political legacy range from the Gandhis—Rahul and Varun, the Thackerays—Uddhav and Raj, to now the Badals—Sukhbir and Manpreet. The battle between Varun and Rahul is one of competing visions, and it is a battle Varun has already lost. After Balasaheb, Uddhav will be no match for a belligerent Raj in the battle for a fascist legacy. In case of the Badals, something more substantive is at stake: neither ideology nor personal charisma, but governance. Manpreet and Sukhbir represent very different views of how a state of this country should be run.

Manpreet, son of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s elder brother Gurdas, has served his years in the party, contested elections and was appointed finance minister in the current Akali-BJP government because he is one of the few members of the alliance who understands what is at stake for a prosperous state driven to financial ruin by populism. The contrast with his cousin Sukhbir, who has ridden his family connection to power, and whose understanding of the term ‘finance’ is intimately tied to the word ‘personal’, could not be more stark.

Punjab, despite the prosperity of its residents, is a mess thanks to policies that Parkash Singh Badal has advocated and his son is encouraging. Free power to farmers has bankrupted the state; no control on the usage of groundwater and the free use of pesticides is bankrupting the soil. Sukhbir and his father are only concerned with maintaining their political fiefdom, what happens to the state in the process does not weigh on them.

Manpreet, in contrast, has been arguing against freebies and has spoken for fiscal restraint from the very beginning of his tenure. He may owe much to his relationship with his uncle, but the stand he has taken is neither populist nor is it likely to gain him much in the battle against Sukhbir.

The only reasonable explanation is that he has put the interests of Punjab before his own. It has led to his suspension from the party and his ouster from the state’s cabinet. For the moment he seems to be losing, but hopefully his advantages over Sukhbir will be evident to Punjabi voters once Parkash Singh Badal is no longer on the scene.

About The Author

Hartosh Singh Bal