The decision of some prominent leaders who had moved to the Bharatiya Janata Party from the Congress, following the fall of the Captain Amarinder Singh government in 2021, has caused acute embarrassment to the saffron brigade. On Friday, former ministers, Balbir Sidhu, Gurpreet Kangar and Raj Kumar Verka and erstwhile MLAs, Mohinder Rinwa Hansraj Josan and Jit Mohinder were admitted to the Congress by state president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and leader of the Opposition, Pratap Singh Bajwa.
This move, which Punjab BJP chief, Sunil Jakhar, claimed had taken him by surprise, was initiated some weeks ago. As Balbir Sidhu stated, that most of his colleagues were uncomfortable in the BJP because of different work culture and had expressed their desire to return to the Congress.
There is speculation that some more leaders who had migrated following the fall of the government such as Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi and Kewal Singh Dhillon, may also be on their way back, though they are yet to make their intentions public. That virtually leaves, Jakhar who was also in the Congress, besides Captain Amarinder Singh and Arvind Khanna in the BJP. At this juncture of his life, it is highly improbable that the Captain would shift from where he is. However, there is every possibility that his wife, Preneet Kaur, who is a Congress MP from Patiala, may not switch sides and either she or her daughter could seek the party ticket for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The primary reason for the ghar wapsi of leaders is that they are aware that on a BJP ticket, it shall be very difficult for any of them to get elected for either the Assembly or the Parliament. This possibility may have been there, had the BJP and its old ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal, would have come together once again. This does not seem to be happening with the Akali cadres unhappy with the BJP for what they call, its anti-farmer policies. On the other hand, with the diminishing popularity of the Aam Aadmi Party in the state, it is evident that many political leaders feel that the Congress could bounce back and thus would be a safer bet. The situation in Punjab is quite different from the rest of the country, and the BJP is finding it difficult to get people to support its policies. Secondly, the party does not have a clear-cut agenda that would convince the people. And if the party is to contest alone, it does not have sufficient support to land up on the winning side.
In the past, the BJP acted as a perfect foil for the Akalis. Both in 2007 and 2012, the Akalis formed the government, because the BJP humbled the Congress in most of the 23 seats out of 117 which are considered to be Hindu dominated. This benefit went to the Akalis also in parliament elections. Now with the Akalis fighting alone and the BJP also on its own, both are suffering. Former Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee had cobbled the BJP-Akali alliance, principally to bring the Sikhs and Hindus together in the State which had witnessed militancy for many years. This bonhomie ended when the farm laws were introduced and the Akalis due to compulsion of their supporters at the grassroots level, decided to withdraw from the NDA and thus, the Narendra Modi led government at the Centre. They suffered because of their association, and in the Assembly polls last year, the Akalis faced a massive defeat and humiliation.
In 2022, people were also unhappy with the Congress and the events that followed the removal of Captain Amarinder Singh, left many of its supporters disillusioned. The AAP, which was waiting in the wings, seized the opportunity and wrested power in the State. Over a period of time, the AAP has been losing out on its popularity and the Congress which had been decimated, sees some hope. It is not clear whether the grand old party, known for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory would be able to hold on to its own, given that it does not have too many leaders left barring Bajwa, whose performance as the opposition chief has been exceptional.
Many in Punjab consider Bajwa, to be the most competent leader after Captain Amarinder Singh, though his limitation lies in the fact that he hails from the Majha region and not from Malwa, which has produced the maximum number of Punjab Chief Ministers and leaders. One of the reasons why many in the Congress had left the party to join the BJP was also since they feared that they would have to face cases instituted by federal agencies during their tenures.
Many of the migrant leaders also managed to endear themselves to the top BJP leadership though they have never been comfortable. Sensing that the Congress might need their services for the Parliamentary polls, these leaders, approached the Congress High Command and sought pardon for their indiscretions thus pleading that they may be re-admitted. It is said that some sort of a blueprint was finalized when Rahul Gandhi recently visited the Golden Temple complex, and on Friday, these leaders returned. However, the Ghar Wapsi does not guarantee that the Congress shall resurrect itself since it needs to strengthen its organization at the grass roots level to appear as an alternative to other parties..