There are no two opinions that but for Haryana’s huge crowds, easily distinguished by their pink turbans, the mega Congress rally could not have been as successful as it turned out to be. Even Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s detractors in the Haryana Congress and in opposition cannot deny that he was largely responsible for making the rally a big success.

In its reaction, the BJP could also not deny the huge participation of Haryanvis in the rally as it raised queries only on the “means and methods” employed in organising the event. Cleverly wording its criticism, the party described the rally a “failed attempt to create false bravado for the Congress’s cadre” and an utter disappointment for common people concerned by price rise, corruption and scams charges.

Hooda’s role in making the rally a success is bound to provide him respite from the attacks of some of the state and central party leaders, who, though in a relatively low profile for the past some time, had joined hands in targeting him. They must have realised that the huge Haryana crowds which thronged the rally have raised Chief Minister’s stature in the eyes of the high command.

The episode, however, cannot be used as a cover to hide the faulty functioning of the Hooda government in certain crucial fields of governance. Some of the main causes of the peoples growing anger include failure of law and order, sharp increase in rape cases and caste conflicts generated mainly by the khap panchayts diktats. What has caused the biggest damage to the Hooda government’s image has been the role of the politician-builders-bureaucrats nexus in usurping farmers lands and the growing incidence of criminalisation of politics. The state of sharply increased presence of crime and criminals in Haryana politics can be gauged from the involvement of the state’s former Home Minister Gopal Goyal Kanda in suicide abetment of Geetika Sharma, airhostess of his defunct airline. He is now behind the bars.

Failure to take corrective measures usually proves to be main reason for electoral setbacks. This happened in Punjab. The PCC Chief Capt. Amarinder Singh became the victim of complacency. Confident that the Congress was going to win he led his party to defeat in the Assembly elections. The main reason for the defeat was his over-confidence which did not allow him to take corrective measures to overcome the party’s micro-level organisational weaknesses.

Although issues like rising prices, corruption and FDI in retail will largely influence the electorate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, local issues will also play a significant role in the Haryana electorate’s voting preferences. It is time for Hooda to introspect and take remedial measure in time.

Haryana is a land of contradictions. On the one hand, it has become one of country’s economically most progressive states. On the other hand, it continues to be socially backward with its khap panhayats practicing the justice delivery system of the medieval ages and issuing diktats which violate the country’s laws.

The state’s role in some other arenas has also been marked by contradictions. For instance, the Yoga guru Baba Ram Dev hailing from the state of Aya Rams Gaya Rams, instead of confining himself to imparting Yoga teaching, first used his expertise for commercial purposes and then made an abortive bid to enter politics. Similarly, the Income Tax Officer-turned-social activist Arvind Kejriwal, who also hails from Haryana, is now going to float a political party against the wishes of his mentor Anna Hazare. Kejriwal has been doing the job of an investigative journalist exposing scams involving influential persons.

The latest to join the ranks of such ‘luminaries’ is the controversial former Army chief V.K. Singh. He also nurses political ambitions but seems to be confused on which party he should join. He has already shared the stages with Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and Om Parkash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal.

Haryana’s contribution to the country’s defence forces is significant. A large number of the armed forces manpower hails from the state. Many Haryanvis have attained martyrdom for their acts of bravery, while some others have earned gallantry awards. In this background, the controversy over his retirement age and his demand that Parliament should be dissolved, Singh’s intended entry into politics will be an unfortunate development.

In this context, Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra’s last week’s comments assume importance. “Intrigued” by V.K. Singh’s demand for dissolution of Parliament, Mishra said, “this gentleman (Singh) had represented to the government that his date of birth be reckoned to have been in 1951. Had that been accepted by the government, he would be our sitting Army chief today. Imagine if the sitting Army chief would have this kind of idea about both the government and the Parliament, under which he would be working, that both need to be dissolved, then I shudder at the thought that what would have been the way to achieve that end.”

In the above background, the question is: Will the emergence of the new political activists have any noticeable impact on the electoral fortunes of the mainstream political parties like the Congress, INLD and Janhit Congress-BJP alliance in the Lok Sabha elections? Although the Lok Sabha elections are nearly two years away yet as the situation stands today it does not seem likely. Individually or collectively it will be virtually impossible for them to build a well-knit organisational network or muster enough emotional support to make an impact on polls outcome. (IPA Service)