In BJP's Punjab push, Haryana CM Saini steals a march over CM Mann on Udham Singh martyrdom day

Indian Express

6 days ago

In a move that created ripples in political circles, Haryana Chief Minister and BJP leader Nayab Singh Saini visited Punjab's Sunam to pay tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh on his 86th martyrdom day on Thursday, hours before Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and the AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal reached the legendary freedom fighter's native town in Sangrur district.
The Haryana CM's surprise visit to the martyr's memorial not only took place before the Punjab government's function but was also marked with political symbolism.
Sporting a saffron turban, Saini paid homage at the Shaheed Udham Singh Memorial, built over nearly 2 acre land in Sunam, and met the martyr's descendants. 'I pay tributes to this son of the soil who couldn't bear the Jallianwala Bagh massacre as a child and avenged it by killing Michael O'Dwyer (Punjab lieutenant governor during the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre) in England. I salute him and his family's sacrifice,' the CM told media persons.
In December 2023, the BJP-led Haryana government under then CM Manohar Lal Khattar had declared a state gazetted holiday on Udham Singh's martyrdom anniversary. As Saini replaced Khattar in March next year, July 31, 2024 marked the first time during the former's first term as the CM, when the day was observed as a state holiday.
In contrast, for the past several years, Punjab observed only a restricted holiday on July 31. However, the Kamboj community, listed in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, and some government employee associations took up the matter this year with the AAP-led Punjab government, demanding the declaration of a state gazetted holiday on July 31. Udham Singh was from the Kamboj community. Sources said the Mann government was also under pressure to do it after Haryana's move.
During his Sunam visit, Saini kept the focus on paying homage to Udham Singh. When reporters asked him about the Rs 113 crore bill sent by the Punjab government to Haryana for the upkeep and maintenance of Bhakra canal, he side-stepped the row, just saying, 'Talks are on with the neighbouring state. Both states will sit together to find a solution.'
Saini, who belongs to the OBC, was accompanied by Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma.
After leading the BJP to a resounding win in the October 2024 Haryana Assembly polls, Saini, 55, has been going all out to boost his credentials as an OBC leader. Besides engaging with prominent OBC organisations and leaders from across the country, he has also been making frequent visits to Punjab.
These moves, BJP sources said, are part of Saini's strategy to emerge as an OBC leader at the national level and expand his party's footprint in Punjab slated for the Assembly polls in early 2027.
After the Udham Singh Memorial event, Saini also addressed local residents at a BJP-organised meeting. BJP state secretary Daaman Thind Bajwa said,'Our programme was scheduled early to avoid overlap with the Punjab government's function. CM Saini arrived around 10 am via chopper and left at around 11.30 am for Sirsa by road as weather conditions in Sirsa didn't allow flying,' she said.
The Punjab government's event was held later in the day in Sunam's grain market area, which was addressed by CM Mann and Kejriwal after they paid floral tributes at the memorial. Sources said that due to waterlogging caused by heavy rainfall in Sunam, the duo had to ride a chopper to reach the grain market, barely a kilometre away from the memorial, which reflected poor drainage in the town.
In April this year, Saini had addressed a gathering in Derabassi in Mohali, where Gurdarsan Singh Saini, son of former Akali stalwart Gurnam Singh Derabassi, joined the BJP.
Saini also participated in the Saini community events in other Punjab towns like Ropar and Kharar in March-April and had campaigned in Ludhiana in June for the BJP's Ludhiana West bypoll candidate Jiwan Gupta.
During his visits to Punjab, Saini has sought to showcase the 'Haryana model' of governance, highlighting how his government has been providing minimum support price (MSP) on 24 crops. He has made this pitch in his Punjab events, trying to woo farmers and rural voters.
With the Saini community having influence in nearly 15 constituencies across Punjab – especially in Ropar, Kharar, Derabassi, Mukerian, Banga, and Hoshiarpur – the Haryana CM's outreach in the state appears calibrated. 'The Saini community has always existed in Punjab, but ever since Nayab Singh Saini became CM, he has actively started connecting with them. It's good that the CM is introducing Punjab voters to the BJP's Haryana model,' said a state BJP leader, adding that Saini's Thursday visit also sought to send a political message.
The BJP has been struggling to improve its standing in Punjab, with its erstwhile ally, Sukhbir Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), with whom it broke up in 2020, also reeling from poll debacles and factional feuds.
– With inputs from Varinder Bhatia in Chandigarh