New Delhi: For all the politics involved in the Punjab power game, the nomination of Charanjit Channi As Chief Minister breaks over some glass ceilings and social and political barriers. For the first time since independence, the state with the highest proportion of Dalit population (32%) got a chief minister from a deprived community.
In terms of symbolism, it doesn’t get bigger. No political party has managed to eliminate the domination of Jat Sikhs in the state, while their population is at par with other social groups such as OBCs and Dalits. Over the past four decades, the bipolarity between the Akali Dal and the Congress ensured that they reign supreme.
The Congress’ decision to elect Channi ahead of several other candidates, even stronger, betrays a politically-driven calculation in view of the upcoming elections. A mainstream political party, that too national, has crossed the Rubicon. Such decisions have not taken place so far because they risk backlash from key groups. There is also the question of the credibility of the choice, given the short time until the election and some of Channi’s avoidable controversies.
Terming Channi’s selection as “important”, senior JNU sociologist Surinder Jodhka said, “Now everyone is thinking about their identity. This shows how the Dalit constituency has become autonomous. That’s what democracy has done.” He attributed the CM’s choice to the courage to go beyond the symbolism of the Congress party. Giani Zail Singh was the last non-Jat chief minister in Punjab, and he belonged to the artisan OBC community. And that was in the 1970s. The idea of a Dalit CM in Punjab is so improbable that the Akali Dal has promised to make a Dalit a Deputy CM if it comes to power.
In terms of symbolism, it doesn’t get bigger. No political party has managed to eliminate the domination of Jat Sikhs in the state, while their population is at par with other social groups such as OBCs and Dalits. Over the past four decades, the bipolarity between the Akali Dal and the Congress ensured that they reign supreme.
The Congress’ decision to elect Channi ahead of several other candidates, even stronger, betrays a politically-driven calculation in view of the upcoming elections. A mainstream political party, that too national, has crossed the Rubicon. Such decisions have not taken place so far because they risk backlash from key groups. There is also the question of the credibility of the choice, given the short time until the election and some of Channi’s avoidable controversies.
Terming Channi’s selection as “important”, senior JNU sociologist Surinder Jodhka said, “Now everyone is thinking about their identity. This shows how the Dalit constituency has become autonomous. That’s what democracy has done.” He attributed the CM’s choice to the courage to go beyond the symbolism of the Congress party. Giani Zail Singh was the last non-Jat chief minister in Punjab, and he belonged to the artisan OBC community. And that was in the 1970s. The idea of a Dalit CM in Punjab is so improbable that the Akali Dal has promised to make a Dalit a Deputy CM if it comes to power.
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