Punjab has space for a third force. Why did Manpreet Badal fail to fill it?

QUICK PILL

The beginning

• Manpreet Badal formed the PPP in 2011 after falling out with his uncle, CM Parkash Singh Badal

• He was the finance minister, and reached out to the Cong-led Centre to wipe out the state\'s debt

The end

• The PPP failed to win a single seat in the 2012 assembly polls or the 2014 Lok Sabha polls

• On 15 January 2016, Manpreet merged the party into the Congress

More in the story

• The reasons for Manpreet\'s failure to fill the void in Punjab politics

• Why he has now merged into the Congress

It's ironic that a party with a kite as its symbol simply could not soar in the skies of Punjab.

Despite there being ample space for a third political force in the state in the last few years, Manpreet Badal's People's Party of Punjab (PPP) was unable to fill the void. The party has now merged with the Congress after almost five years of existence.

Also read - Win-win: why Manpreet Badal may join the Congress for #Punjab2017

Instead, the Aam Aadmi Party, which arrived at the starting gate much later than the PPP, has emerged as a serious third political contender after the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress.

Fissures in the family

The PPP had come into existence in 2011. It was floated by Manpreet, a four-time legislator from the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), after he fell apart with his uncle, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, and his cousin and deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Manpreet was sacked as the state's finance minister, and later, also from the party, following differences over the issue of the Punjab government talking to the Congress-led Centre about a debt waiver for the state.

Although the PPP started off on a very high note, it was gradually relegated to the sidelines of state politics after it failed to win any seat, either in the 2012 assembly polls or in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

Reasons for failure

There are several reasons why the party could not take off in the state, despite the fact that the people were disillusioned and disenchanted with both the Congress and the SAD, the two traditional political forces that have ruled the state since independence.

The first was Manpreet's failure to put organisational infrastructure in place. It is true that he was the main rallying point for detractors from the SAD, but the organisation largely remained a one-man show. The PPP could not make optimum use of his charisma.

Prof. Manjeet Singh of Punjab University, a keen observer of state politics, told Catch: "Manpreet is not a man of organisation. He did not make use of social media, didn't put up a network of volunteers on the ground or establish a party structure. I would say that people gave him a chance, but he failed the people."

Manpreet Badal fell out with uncle Parkash and cousin Sukhbir, and floated his own party in 2011

The second reason was the bottom line that he was a Badal too. It seemed that public anger was directed at him because he had been part of the same establishment. People could not accept that he would be a different person once he broke away from his uncle and cousin.

"It is a big handicap, the baggage of being a Badal. He was no different than the other Badals till he fell out with them," said Manjeet.

Even Manpreet has accepted that the surname Badal remains a major hindrance for him and reportedly said that the people of Punjab had become allergic to it. His father, Gurdas, was always seen as being very close to Parkash Singh.

Haste makes waste

Manpreet seemed to be in a hurry to try and fill in the political space. Observers say he shouldn't have gone about things in a haste, and should have made calculated decisions.

It takes some years for a political party to gain a standing in a state and establish firm roots. It was foolhardy to expect quick gains in the 2012 assembly polls, which were held just 18 months after the PPP came into existence.

The PPP allied itself with the CPI, the CPI(M) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) to form a Sanjha Morcha (combined front) to fight the polls. He was projected as the Morcha's CM candidate, but the Morcha failed to win any seat, despite polling 6% of the total votes.

The PPP failed to win a single assembly seat in 2012, despite allying with the Left & SAD (Longowal)

Thereafter, he again took a very bold step - he contested the Lok Sabha poll against Sukhbir's wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal. He lost by a narrow margin. This time, Manpreet had aligned with the Congress, and had contested on its symbol. The reason he gave for contesting on the Congress symbol was to avoid confusion among the electorate.

With the PPP contesting just one seat, and that too on the Congress symbol, the party's own identity was not visible anywhere.

"Perhaps he lost the courage to go out on his own. Despite being an impressive leader and a good orator, real ground-level politics is not his cup of tea," said Manjeet Singh.

Quest for redemption

This is an era when the country is witnessing a new kind of politics; what Manjeet Singh labels a 'corporate style' aimed for consumption of the people, which caters to their aspirations and need for a change. Manpreet Badal was a misfit in this era.

Manpreet had resigned on the issue of financial mismanagement. But he didn't aggressively drive the issue home to people, unlike Kejriwal & Co., who are always extremely vocal about such things.

Also read - Kejriwal's mega Maghi show leaves Congress, Akalis a worried lot

It is also said that over the last few years, he was unable to retain close associates like former MLAs Jagbir Singh Brar, Harnek Singh Gharuan, former deputy speaker Bir Devinder Singh, Bhagwant Mann (presently AAP MP from Sangrur) and Kushaldeep Dhillon.

Even now, when the PPP has officially merged with the Congress, PPP general secretary Gurpreet Bhatti, chief spokesperson Navjot Dahiya and Kapurthala chief Gurpreet Raja have stayed away and kept their options open.

It's obvious that this merger with the Congress is Manpreet's bid to resurrect himself in Punjab politics. Whether the story will have a different ending this time remains to be seen.

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