AAP government pushes Punjabi with eye on polls

With an eye on the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, the AAP government has taken a series of measures to promote Punjabi language in the city’s government-run schools. The AAP government has not only decided to appoint at least one Punjabi teacher in each school, it has already hiked the salaries of the Punjabi teachers in Delhi.

A full page advertisement in the national newspapers shows how determined the AAP is to do well in Punjab in next year’s Assembly election. The party led by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, which won four Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in the last general election, is aiming to change the bipolar political equation in Punjab by challenging both the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine and the Opposition Congress.

Mr Kejriwal has also attempted to inch forward on his Mission 2017 by making the censorship of Udta Punjab a political debate and making the Punjabi language a must in the Delhi state schools.

The AAP government’s move to appease the Punjabi community is a clear indication that the party is trying to appease voters in the neighbouring state, where Assembly elections are due next year. With the anti-incumbency factor likely to go against the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, which is running government in partnership with its regional and national ally BJP, the AAP is making all attempts to ensure it breaks into the strong pockets of the Congress. Mr Kejriwal, who has been campaigning extensively in Punjab, has decided his party will contest all the 117 legislative seats in the state. The party’s resounding victory in four of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, followed by a historic win in Assembly polls in Delhi, where it swept 67 of the 70 seats, has made it clear that if the AAP wants to extend its wings outside the national capital, the first and ideal choice for it is the neighbouring Punjabi-dominated state.

The party has successfully voiced its concern over the growing use of drugs in Punjab. It has even come out in open support of the controversial Bollywood movie Udta Punjab, which has highlighted the growing menace of drugs in the state. With a large section of the Punjabi community living in Delhi, the AAP government’s move to appease the community is being interpreted in the political circles as the party’s direct attempt to appease voters.

The party’s move gave enough ammunition to the Opposition. The issue was raised in the Delhi Assembly on Friday, with the BJP MLAs objecting to the advertisement. BJP leader Vijay Goel has said that Mr Kejriwal is misusing public money on advertisements. Mr Goel added, “The Kejriwal government in Delhi is using Delhi taxpayers’ money for the Punjab elections. When elections are coming, they see it as an opportunity to give a push to Punjabi language. This has been done because the advertisements are being given in Punjab papers as well. We have never seen such misuse.”