After a rollercoaster 2020, all eyes in Punjab are actually on 2021, amid the pandemic and farmers’ agitation that’s set to be a dominating issue affecting the political discourse within the state.
The yr holds significance as it could not solely witness the Covid-19 vaccine, and a potential final result of farmers’ agitation, but in addition be the final yr of the incumbent authorities, earlier than Punjab goes to polls in early 2022.
The ruling Congress, with 80 MLAs in 117 member Assembly, is hoping for a repeat in 2022 and is planning to announce a slew of improvement tasks on this yr.
The pandemic, and the lockdown to include it, hit the state arduous economically. Already a funds crunched state, Punjab needed to undergo because the Centre didn’t pay main a part of GST compensation. Its business was additionally hit arduous resulting from lockdown. And lastly, when the life began coming again on monitor, farmers’ agitation within the type of rail blockade worsened the matter.
“We are now hoping to recover. Last year was the worst year in the history of Punjab. Now, we have a lot of hopes from the new year. Our people will get the vaccine and life will start getting back to normal. We look forward to that. We also hope that farmers’ agitation gets to a logical conclusion,” stated Cabinet Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.
He added that politically 2021 might be an essential yr. “We are looking good. We hope we will have a good year,” he stated.
The new yr can even see municipal elections within the state that are prone to be held in February. These can be seen as a precursor to the Assembly elections subsequent yr.
With the agitating farmers not permitting any political leaders on their stage, it stays to be seen which celebration will get traction forward of elections. The BJP is on the defensive because the farm legal guidelines, in opposition to which the farmers are protesting, had been introduced in by party-led coalition authorities at Centre. Their former ally, Shiromani Akali Dal that parted methods with BJP on the difficulty of farm legal guidelines, will attempt to achieve floor as an unbiased entity within the state. The ruling celebration is already pumping funds into constituencies and fulfil all the guarantees it made earlier than the final election. The authorities has began rolling out its free sensible cellphone scheme and has determined to start out improvement works, moreover fulfilling different guarantees.
The opposition AAP can even attempt to get traction at the same time as its chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been making an attempt to woo the farmers by addressing them throughout their protest in National Capital.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has additionally tried to woo the agitating farmers by passing Bills within the Punjab Vidhan Sabha negating the Centre’s legal guidelines. He had additionally staged a dharna together with celebration MLAs at Jantar Mantar.
The SAD, in the meantime, is harping on its breaking away from the BJP, and celebration MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal quitting Union Cabinet berth.
Amarinder hopes for a productive yr head
Amarinder on Friday greeted the folks on New Year, with hopes and prayers of early decision of the issues of the peacefully protesting farmers, and emphasis on the significance of business and communications for the state’s progress and employment era for kids.While hoping for freedom from the pandemic, he additionally appealed to all Punjabis to proceed to train warning and restraint amid the outbreak of a brand new extra contagious pressure of Covid in lots of components of the world.
Congratulating farmers for persevering with to train their democratic and constitutional proper to protest in a peaceable method, the chief minister stated they’ve received hearts of individuals worldwide with their behaviour. “Not a single instance of rioting or violence was resorted to by the agitating farmers earlier during their protest in Punjab, and now at the Delhi borders,” he stated.
In a troublesome yr, marked by the Covid disaster since March 22, adopted by a protracted farmers’ struggle for justice, the state has witnessed file manufacturing of wheat and rice, he added. In reality, Punjabis have continued to do their duties unwaveringly with full dedication and braveness, on all fronts even in these making an attempt situations, he stated whereas citing examples of commerce and business, which based on him has revived efficiently “due to the hard work of Punjabis after facing total shutdown for several months”.
“All 2,40,000 industrial units in Ludhiana are now open,” he stated, including that industries value Rs 65,000-Rs 70000 crore had been being arrange in Punjab.Stressing that “the world is recognising the accomplishments of Punjab”, the chief minister stated this underlined the appreciation for Punjabis’ bravery, the state’s success in controlling COVID “and the fact that it was free of any law and order problem”.
“It is important to ensure that investment and industry keeps coming into the state for the generation of employment for our children so that they do not go out of Punjab for jobs,” he added.
Amarinder famous that within the fashionable digital age, the place communication was important to progress and pace was of essence, Punjab couldn’t afford to lag behind and wanted to maneuver ahead with aggression.
He expressed hope that 2021 will see a brand new period of progress being ushered into the state, with the issues of the farmers being rapidly solved.