Looking to Cash in on Farmers’ Stir, Mega Kisan Rally Boosts Beleaguered AAP in Punjab

A drubbing in the civic body elections last month may have dealt a severe blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls in Punjab, but the massive turnout at Sunday’s Kisan Mahasammelan in Moga could be game-changer for the party amid the months-long farmers’ agitation against three central laws.

The Moga rally was addressed by AAP’s national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and it turned out to be a major show of strength for the party that has been hit by desertions of late. The party leadership is now trying to downplay the recent poll losses claiming that it was its maiden venture in civic election in which the ruling Congress had a clean sweep across the state.

In its bid to ride on the ‘political’ wave triggered by the farmer’s agitation, the party has been holding several kisan sammelans across the state and targeting both the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over the farm laws. Its strategy has been to portray both the parties as ‘responsible’ for not doing enough to stall the passage of the farm laws in Parliament. The strategy, according to observers, seems to be deriving it some benefits, at least for now.

A recent opinion poll conducted by a survey agency had forecast the AAP winning more seats than the Congress in the next Assembly election. Though Punjab Congress was quick to trash the findings, the fact that it had to issue advertisements in newspapers stressing that the situation on ground was different indicated that the ruling camp is worried. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh even targeted Kejriwal for his statements at the Moga rally calling them “deceitful” and “full of lies”.

The AAP leadership believes that it can consolidate the gains from the kisan rallies across the state. “The response of the people in the recent rally has come as a big boost for all of us. The number of people present in the rally was far more than what we expected,” Leader of Opposition and AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema told News18, adding the party would now work towards ensuring that the momentum remains.

However, the party still is reeling under rebellion and several disgruntled leaders have left the party in recent times. The biggest hurdle is its lack of a local ‘face’ who could be pitched as a chief ministerial candidate. In fact, several of its senior functionaries have raised the issue of the party being run by the Delhi CM rather than the local leadership.

Cheema said the question of who would be the party’s CM face in Punjab would be taken up at an appropriate time. “Party workers have been very enthusiastic after the mega response from the rally and everybody is getting this message that there is a massive anger against the government and people are looking for a change,” he said.