Three factors have been mainly attributed to the Nitish Kumar-led alliance’s resounding electoral victory: fast development, good governance and empowerment of women. Despite the claims of Punjab’s ruling leaders about the state government’s “achievements” on these fronts, a sample reality check digs big holes in their loud claims.

Sukhbir has said that the SAD will contest the polls on development agenda. Ground level feedback shows that besides the inauguration of some new railway over bridges and local-level small schemes, completion of most projects including the ambitious power plants have either been inordinately delayed or work on them suspended or not even started primarily because of paucity of funds or red-tape which have resulted in their cost escalations.

Major cities have been the main victims of the government’s neglect. For instance, Ludhiana’s much needed wooden railway over-bridge, the shortest road link between the city and old district courts complex and Civil Lines, still awaits completion despite its dismantling a decade ago. Same is the fate of Jalandhar’s Domoria and D.A.V. College over-bridges. About the civic amenities including sewerage, roads and water supply system in the main cities, the less said the better. The concerned civic bodies responsible for providing these amenities are controlled by the ruling alliance.

As the ruling leaders have now said that they would contest the Assembly elections on development agenda, the possibility of their making plethora of announcements for launching new projects or speedily completing the incomplete during the run-up to the elections cannot be ruled out.

The poor state of governance and performance is reflected by Punjab’s slide from the top rank to the near bottom of the list of developed states, quite reverse of what the once laggard Bihar has done. The main cause of this slide is the failure of the state’s successive rulers, particularly the present Akali-BJP, to pull Punjab out the morass of acute financial crisis. The government’s large advertisements boast about the revenue collections nearly doubling to Rs.40,165 crore (Projected Revenue collection till March 2011) during the four years of the Akali-BJP rule compared to the Congress’s 2002-2006 rule of Rs. 20,803 crore. But despite this the state’s debt has ballooned to over Rs.71,000 crore during these four years indicating financial mismanagement and wrong priorities. The ruling leaders blame the Centre for providing inadequate financial help to Punjab. But Namo Narain Meena, Union Minister of State for Finance recently told the Lok Sabha that the Punjab government had failed to provide a blueprint to ameliorate its huge indebtedness which could pull the state out of its financial crisis. Manpreet Singh had to quit as Finance Minister mainly because he insisted on providing such a blueprint to the centre.

Despite the claims of highest ever revenue collections in four years, the government has badly faltered in meeting its commitments made to various sections of the people because of funds shortage. It has not paid the employees their pay arrears. Payment of old age pension and ‘Shagun’ amounts for married girls is inordinately delayed hitting the process of women empowerment, a factor which paid big electoral dividends to Nitish Kumar. Even the cash rewards for the winners of Commonwealth Games have remained unpaid.

The worst examples of poor governance are the miserable state of law and order and rampant corruption. The police has become a tool of ruling politicians to serve their partisan interests. Ground level reports say that corruption is rampant at all levels particularly at the cutting edges of the administration with the bribe takers having jacked up the bribe amounts. Who can know better than the once insider former Finance Minister Manpreet who says that corruption has been institutionalized in Punjab.

Amidst such dark clouds hovering over the once India’s number one state, it also depends on the soundness of the health of Akali-BJP combine and the Congress that can help in saving Punjab from becoming what Bihar was five years ago. But unfortunately, the health of both the Akali Dal and the Congress is not in an inspiring state.

After its infighting and remaining in hibernation for long, the Congress organization has shown signs of life after Capt. Amarinder Singh’s appointment as PCC President. But to again make Congress a live organization to become a formidable electoral challenger to the ruling combine Capt. Amarinder Singh will have to make himself easily accessible to party cadres and common people. Secondly, he will have to discard his old coterie of sycophants who in his earlier tenure earned him more foes than friends.

The Akali Dal is also no longer in the pink of health which Sukhbir’s organizational skills had once made it to be. After Manpreet’s exit, revolting voices are being heard in the party. The disgruntled party workers have started rallying around him. Such realities besides the escalating anti-incumbency factor and the ruling alliance’s poor governance put a question mark on the validity of Akali Dal’s claim of repeating Bihar in Punjab.

A welcome feature of these developments, however, is that the Akali Dal’s focus has shifted from its religious agenda to economic issues. (IPA Service)