WSN columnist Jasvinder Singh makes sense of the decision of the Punjab voter who defeated the Shiromani Akali Dal but ensured the victory of the Indian National Congress.

The Hindutva Ginny has emerged stronger after the 2019 elections. The Ginny’s protégé -the Bhartiya Janata Party swept the entire country except for the state of Punjab. Punjab voted for Congress. Punjab did the same in the 2017 Assembly elections too.

Why did the people of Punjab vote for the Congress which has a history of giving countless scars on the face of Punjab and has butchered their youth in a merciless manner not very long ago, in the last decades of the past century?

Perhaps, the vote in Punjab was more anti-Akali than pro-Congress. The victory of Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal is a proof of the failure of the Panthic lobby to channelise the anger of the people in a positive manner. With the AAP losing all faith, there was no third choice also.

Without apportioning blame on the people, Panthic groups and activists need to do introspection and brainstorm as to why they are so clueless about understanding the nerve of the community.

Today, after the results, Sikhs seem to be crying over spilt milk. Paralysed into a difficult situation, where they had to choose between a thief and a murderer, they chose a thief -a lesser evil, even though temporarily.

The Sikhs of Punjab need to be aware that the Panth is not just the Sikhs of Punjab.  Thinking about the larger framework of the Sikhs without compromising their situation is another aspect, not to be ignored by Panthic groups and activists.

There are still some hard lessons, if learnt and worked upon can certainly bear some fruit in the future. The Panthic leaders will have to learn the tricks of the electoral trade of translating the love and respect of the Panth into votes.

Good intentions without a serious commitment will not mean much.  Punjabis are rebels and the Panthic groups need to realise how to manoeuvre the difficult scenario for the good of the Panth.