For instance, the meeting did not discuss the grim situation Punjab is facing in various arenas. It neither deliberated on the grave financial crisis which has pushed the state to the brink of bankruptcy nor did it deliberate on administrative mess Punjab finds itself in today. Nor did it talk about the future strategy to deal with the multi-dimensional crises Punjab is faced with nor drew a roadmap for pulling the state out of its messy situation. It only highlighted the government's “achievements during its two-and-a-half years rule” (never mind if the 'achievements' are more on the paper than on the ground) and the ruling leadership's resolve to concentrate on the state's development during its remaining two-and-a-half year term. Both Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Chief Minister son have routinely been making such claims at public and party meetings.

It also did not allow the lone sober voice to be raised by the Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal who after the late Akali minister Capt. Kanwaljit Singh is the ruling party's visionary leader with a sense of history and capable of “looking at the next 20, 30 or may be 50 years.” To quote him, “frankly we have lost two-and-a-half years”.

The government is surviving on loans which will mount to Rs.62,000 crore this year. Education, health and social welfare measures, the top most priorities given both in the Centre's and the state's plans, are the worst sufferers. Manpreet Singh bemoans: “I know how grim things are. We are short of 32,000 school teachers. But I don't have Rs.300 crore to pay their salary for a year. On the other hand, I am spending Rs.4,600 crore a year on subsidies. There is a saying in Punjabi 'Ganna naihin dena, bheli de deni hai'. That is what is happening here”. Strongly opposing competitive populism, the Finance Minister says unless subsidies, particularly free power to the farm sector go or are rationalized and additional resources mobilized, Punjab cannot hope to come out of its messy financial situation. “It is below Punjab's dignity and self-respect to keep going to the Centre with a begging bowl.” But despite the Constitutional bodies like CAG pointing to the state government's fiscal mismanagement and New Delhi's frequent reprimands for not using the central grants, Punjab's ruling bosses keep going to the Centre with a begging bowl.

The situation is no better on the administrative front. Induction of youth in politics is imperative for growth and polity's sound health. But a combination of old generation's experience and youth's dynamism are a pre-requisite to achieve faster growth. Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Singh provide such a combination. Though the dynamism of the foreign-educated Sukhbir holds promise for the future, it has played havoc with governance. Its most disturbing aspect is the almost complete politicization of the civil and police administrations. Although the police and civil officers have always been used for partisan objectives by the successive Congress and Akali governments, the trend has assumed unprecedented proportions and alarming dimensions during the present Akali-BJP rule. The worst example is their misuse for rigging last year's local body elections with the help of police and civil officers.

The instrument generally used to force civil and police officers to fall in line is the threat of transfers. The issue drew pointed attention of the Union Home Minister P.Chiadambaram. Addressing director-generals and inspector-generals of police last week he rapped Punjab for the “poor tenure duration” of police officers. He wondered why the police top brass “remain silent when arbitrary postings and transfers are made by the state government”. It is not surprising that the deteriorated working conditions in Punjab are prompting a large number of IAS and IPS officers to opt for deputation to the Centre.

Economy and politics are inter-dependent. Although a government's performance and the level of anti-incumbency it generates usually decide the electoral and political fortunes of ruling parties, it is the economy that acts as the final arbiter in the two arenas. With Punjab's economy being in a grim state it would deeply influence the political and electoral future of Akali Dal and BJP. The signs of this trend are already visible in the almost daily protests and demonstrations being held by different sections of the people. The ruling leadership may counter this argument by citing their success in the recently held three Assembly by-elections. It forgets that the ruling parties using vast resources at their disposal and misusing official machinery usually win by-elections. In the case of the three by-elections, the virtually paralysed and faction-ridden Punjab Congress also contributed to the Akali victories. These factors did not work in the Lok Sabha elections in which the Akali Dal and BJP lost eight of the thirteen seats.

Manpreet Singh Badal has rightly said that Punjab now needs leadership rather than leaders. The situation calls for introspection by Akali Dal's father-son duo. (IPA Service)