Chandigarh: From someone who was once subjected to public ridicule for his drinking habits, Bhagwant Mann has come a long way over the past year-and-a-half since assuming the office of chief minister of Punjab.
No longer a mere ‘in-house entertainer’ or crowd-puller for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Mann has shed the image of being a ‘yes man’ of the party’s central leadership to emerge as its star campaigner, flanking AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal at political huddles and public meetings.
Mann is also trying to outgrow the tag of being a “remote-controlled CM” by asserting himself and even challenging the Opposition in Punjab to a live TV debate “to put an end to all bickering” on issues concerning the state.
He went to the extent of saying that while leaders from opposition parties can bring documents to counter him, he will be speaking extempore.
ਭਾਜਪਾ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਜਾਖੜ ਜੀ , ਅਕਾਲੀ ਦਲ ਦੇ ਸੁਖਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਦੇ ਰਾਜਾ ਵੜਿੰਗ-ਪ੍ਰਤਾਪ ਬਾਜਵਾ ਜੀ ਨੂੰ ਮੇਰਾ ਖੁੱਲਾ ਸੱਦਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਰੋਜ਼-ਰੋਜ਼ ਦੀ ਕਿੱਚ ਕਿੱਚ ਨਾਲੋਂ ਆਜੋ ਆਪਾਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀਆਂ ਅਤੇ ਮੀਡੀਆ ਸਾਹਮਣੇ ਬੈਠ ਕੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ ਹੁਣ ਤੱਕ ਕੀਹਨੇ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਲੁੱਟਿਆ, ਭਾਈ-ਭਤੀਜੇ ਸਾਲੇ-ਜੀਜੇ, ਮਿੱਤਰ ਮੁਲਾਹਜ਼ੇ, ਟੋਲ ਪਲਾਜੇ,ਜਵਾਨੀ…
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) October 8, 2023
Sources in Punjab AAP revealed that it was Mann who put his foot down when asked for his opinion on the idea of the party joining hands with the Congress in the state, pursuant to its commitment to the INDIA alliance of opposition parties.
“The AAP leadership in Delhi had already settled on a seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress for Punjab. But the Punjab leadership was not in agreement with it and made a public announcement conveying its position. We are not sure about what will happen subsequently, but for the time being, Punjab’s AAP leadership has no bond whatsoever with the Congress,” a senior Punjab AAP leader said on condition of anonymity.
And last month, when the party sounded the poll bugle in Madhya Pradesh, Kejriwal and Mann were seen addressing public meetings side by side.
ਮੱਧ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼ ਦੇ ਰੀਵਾ ‘ਚ ਕੌਮੀ ਕਨਵੀਨਰ @ArvindKejriwal ਜੀ ਨਾਲ ਮਹਾਂਰੈਲੀ ਨੂੰ ਸੰਬੋਧਨ ਕੀਤਾ …ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦਾ ਜੋਸ਼, ਉਤਸ਼ਾਹ ਤੇ ਜਨੂੰਨ ਇਸ ਵਾਰ ਭਾਜਪਾ ਦੀ ਜੜ੍ਹ ਮੱਧ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼ ‘ਚੋਂ ਉਖਾੜ ਕੇ ਰੱਖ ਦੇਵੇਗਾ..ਕੇਜਰੀਵਾਲ ਜੀ ਦੀ ਕ੍ਰਾਂਤੀ ਪੂਰੇ ਦੇਸ਼ ‘ਚ ਫੈਲ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ…ਆਉਂਦੀਆਂ ਚੋਣਾਂ ‘ਚ ਆਮ ਆਦਮੀ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਨੂੰ ਮੱਧ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼ ‘ਚ ਉਮੀਦ ਤੋਂ… pic.twitter.com/xuBpzv2kve
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) September 18, 2023
Earlier this week, Mann hit the campaign trail in Madhya Pradesh, holding fort in Kejriwal’s absence, delivering fiery speeches and showcasing his government’s achievements — in the sectors of education and health — besides the AAP’s anti-corruption drive in Punjab.
ਜਦੋਂ ਦੇਸ਼ ਦੇ 140 ਕਰੋੜ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੇ ਵਜਾ ਦਿੱਤੀਆਂ BJP ਲਈ ਖ਼ਤਰੇ ਦੀਆਂ ਘੰਟੀਆਂ…ਉਦੋਂ ਮੋਦੀ ਜੀ ਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਆਈਆਂ ਗਰੰਟੀਆਂ..
ਮੋਦੀ ਜੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਗਰੰਟੀਆਂ ਪੂਰੀਆਂ ਨੀ ਹੋਣੀਆਂ..ਕੇਜਰੀਵਾਲ ਜੀ ਵਾਲੀ ਗਰੰਟੀ ਪੂਰੀ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ…ਯਾਦ ਰੱਖਿਓ pic.twitter.com/NMUm8bhVsY
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) October 11, 2023
According to political analysts, with assembly polls around the corner in five states, this could be an opportunity for Mann to raise his stature further within the party.
Dr Kanwalpreet Kaur, a professor in the department of political science at DAV College, Chandigarh, told ThePrint, “Mann’s importance in the party has increased because of the fact that the party’s number-two and number-three, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and (Rajya Sabha MP) Sanjay Singh, were arrested in the Delhi liquor scam and are in jail.”
Sisodia was arrested in March and Singh earlier this month by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its probe into Delhi government’s now-withdrawn new excise policy.
Explaining how the arrests paved the way for Mann’s rise within the party, Kaur added, “As a political strategy, Sisodia was used over the past several years to showcase the achievements of the ‘Delhi model’. Now, Mann has to take over that role by promoting the ‘Punjab model’ in other states.”
She pointed out that the AAP’s two other prominent faces, Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak, are “nominated members of the Rajya Sabha who were not born out of the dirt and dust of electoral street politics”.
“They are not crowd-pullers. On the other hand, the party always used Mann, as an entertainer, to gather crowds,” Kaur added.
She also said that Mann was once “believed to be the AAP’s in-house entertainer”.
“During serious political discussions, if other leaders wanted a break, they would ask Mann to recite a funny poem he had penned or to crack a joke. He was never taken as a serious politician. But now all that has changed.”
Underlining that Mann has also tightened his grip on the party’s state unit, Kaur said, “Gone are the days when Kejriwal used to remove Punjab AAP leaders through tweets. Now, Punjab’s AAP leadership looks up to Mann.”
Sources within the Punjab AAP too said that Mann has become fairly independent in how he functions as a chief minister.
“When IAS and PCS officers went on strike after an IAS officer was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau, Mann took a strict stand, forcing everybody to return to work. Similarly, when patwaris went on strike, Mann decided to call their bluff,” said a party leader.
Also Read: ‘Friendly match’ — oppn takes dig at AAP as its Punjab & Haryana units lock horns over SYL issue
‘Power-drunk, will stab AAP in the back’
Mann’s political adversaries, however, said he was “power-drunk”, adding that “it will not be long before he stabs his own party in the back”.
Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa told ThePrint, “The only reason that Mann is taken everywhere by Kejriwal is not because Mann has risen the party ladder. It is because Mann provides the state’s helicopter to help Kejriwal travel across the country and campaign for the party. Mann is Kejriwal’s glorified driver.”
Bajwa said the Congress in Punjab has been “shouting from the rooftops that the hard-earned money of Punjabis is being drained by Mann on the orders of Kejriwal”.
“Mann’s confidence is coming from another source. If you have noticed, I have started referring to Mann as ‘Bhagwant Shah’ in my tweets since he started referring to me as Partap Singh Bhajpa, trying to link me to the BJP. Mann is cozying up to top BJP leaders and it will not be long before he stabs his own party in the back,” alleged Bajwa.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal called Mann a “puppet” of the AAP’s central leadership.
The Punjab secretariat, he told ThePrint, “is teeming with people from Delhi who report straight to the party’s top leadership on the ongoings in Punjab.”
“We have been told that the CM is never left alone, not even for a minute. He is constantly surrounded, guided and monitored by the Delhi team.”
Badal said the “only transformation” he saw was that Mann had become “rude, arrogant and power-drunk”.
“He thinks he is going to remain in power forever. He has no respect for anyone. He has started believing the lies he speaks about himself and his party. It is all lies that his party is pakka imaandar (absolutely honest) and that he is the custodian of all honesty when everybody around him is dishonest. His own bureaucracy is going to rebel against him.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: Eyeing principal Oppn tag in Punjab, SAD revvs up social media campaign with ‘Biig Boss’