There are assembly elections in Haryana and in the election season, a statement by Kangana Ranaut, MP from Mandi Lok Sabha seat of Himachal Pradesh, has made the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) uncomfortable. Kangana said during an interview, “In the name of farmers’ movement in Punjab, miscreants were spreading violence. Rapes and murders were taking place there. The farmers bill was withdrawn, otherwise the miscreants had a long-term plan. They could have done anything in the country. If our top leadership was not strong, Punjab would have been turned into Bangladesh.”
Kangana has mentioned the situation in Punjab but her statement can also increase the problems of the party in the electoral state of Haryana. In Haryana, BJP has the challenge of overcoming the anti-incumbency of 10 years. Along with this, the party also has the challenge of overcoming the resentment over the agitation of farmers and wrestlers, resentment over the benefits of schemes being given through government portals. In such a situation, Kangana Ranaut’s statement has become a reason for embarrassment for BJP in Haryana.
Punjab BJP leader Harjit Singh Grewal has called it Kangana’s personal statement. He said that PM Modi and BJP are well-wishers of farmers. Kangana should not make such statements. At the same time, BJP leaders of Haryana have maintained silence on Kangana’s statement. It is being said that BJP leaders have complained about Kangana’s statement to the top leadership. At the same time, Congress has attacked Kangana’s statement. Congress National General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala has attacked BJP by posting on X.
Surjewala has written on X that why do BJP people hate the country’s farmers so much? BJP has always lied, deceived, conspired and tortured our farmers and once again a BJP MP has made baseless allegations against our farmers. Raising questions on Kangana’s statement, he wrote that has Kangana made this cheap allegation on the farmers as per BJP’s election strategy? Were these just Kangana’s words or has someone else written the copy? If not, then why are the country’s Prime Minister, Haryana Chief Minister and all BJP MPs and MLAs silent on this issue?
Senior Haryana journalist Pradeep Dabas said that it is challenging for any party to successfully overcome 10 years of anti-incumbency and form the government for the third time. Amidst the challenge of anti-incumbency, the benefits of more than 100 schemes including Parivar Pehchan Patra are being given through portals in Haryana, due to which the general public is angry. Jats and farmers are angry. In such a situation, any statement of BJP leader regarding farmers and farmers’ movement is like hurting the sentiments of farmers, Kangana Ranaut is still an MP. Such statements at the time of elections will only harm the party, it cannot benefit it.
BJP is surrounded by these challenges in Haryana
Farmer: Punjab and Haryana were the centers of the farmers’ movement against the three new agricultural laws. In Haryana, from the then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to his ministers had to face opposition. In many villages, people had also put up posters prohibiting the entry of BJP leaders. In the recent Lok Sabha elections too, BJP leaders had to face opposition at many places. The anger of the farmers was also reflected in the results of the recent Lok Sabha elections. BJP, which had made a clean sweep by winning all the 10 seats in the state in 2014 and 2019, could win only five seats.
Also read: What did Kangana Ranaut say about Punjab and the farmers’ movement, which made the BJP distance itself from her?
Jats: BJP had made inroads into the Jat vote bank, which was the core voter of Congress in Haryana, but this trend has changed in the recent general elections. Jats are angry with BJP and this anger was also seen in the results of the Lok Sabha elections. Now BJP has moved forward on the formula of non-Jat politics. The command of the government in Haryana is with OBCs, the state president as well as the three Union Ministers appointed by the party are also non-Jat faces. The movement of Vinesh Phogat and wrestlers against Brij Bhushan regarding incidents of sexual exploitation of female wrestlers has also added fuel to the fire of anger of Jat voters. It is worth noting that according to C Voter, BJP got 32.9 percent Jat votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and 24 percent in the assembly elections. This figure increased in 2019 and then the party was successful in getting 42.4 percent Jat votes in the Lok Sabha elections and 33.7 percent in the assembly elections.
Also read: Will there be a change in the dates of Haryana assembly elections? BJP-INLD raised the demand
fire hero Haryana’s youth join the army in large numbers. There is an emotional bond between the army and Haryana. BJP has been presenting One Rank, One Pension as a big achievement but this time Agniveer seems to be becoming a big issue in Haryana elections. People are angry about the Agniveer scheme of army recruitment. Haryana’s youth had also protested against the Agniveer scheme. Congress has been vocal against the Agniveer scheme since the time of Lok Sabha elections. Congress has also demanded to stop the Agniveer scheme in Parliament, it has said that if its government comes, it will stop it.
Anti-incumbency: BJP is in power in the state since 2014. BJP changed the Chief Minister of Haryana just before the Lok Sabha elections. When Nayab Saini was made the Chief Minister in place of Manohar Lal Khattar, it was seen as a way to overcome anti-incumbency against the 10-year government. The anti-incumbency against the government and MLAs was also revealed in the Mood of the Nation survey of India Today and C Voter. In this survey, while 33 percent people expressed satisfaction with the work of the MLAs, 40 percent people expressed dissatisfaction. The number of people satisfied with the work of the CM was 22 percent and 40 percent people were dissatisfied. The number of people expressing satisfaction with the work of the government was 27 percent and the number of people expressing dissatisfaction was 44 percent.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)