Congress in Punjab headed for total defeat as Dalits see through Channi’s poll farce

CHANDIGARH: The Congress is very likely to be completely routed in the forthcoming Punjab polls as the Dalits in the state have seen through Charanjit Singh Channi’s farce.

Punjab goes to the polls on February 20. Channi is a three-time MLA from Chamkaur Sahib and became the state’s first Dalit Chief Minister in September after the ouster of Captain Amarinder Singh.

Captain Amarinder Singh who has now launched his own party, is now supporting the BJP.

Congress had hoped the move to appoint Channi as the CM face for the forthcoming polls, will help it gain an edge in several seats by consolidating Dalit votes.

At 32 per cent, Punjab has the largest concentration of Dalits in the country — there are 34 reserved seats in the 117-member Assembly — though they are not a homogenous group.

However, the local Dalit leaders in Punjab have understood that the Congress is only using them for the polls and they will not get any major benefits if Channi becomes the CM once again.

“It’s just a case of use and throw,” a senior Dalit leader said.

The BJP led-Captain Amarinder Singh team is likely to come to power in the State according to political experts.

The Congress has always used the minorities and SC/ST population to its benefit all these years, the Dalit leader claimed.

In fact, the Congress only managed to stay in power for the last 60 years, till 2014 because of its smart management and manipulation of Dalits, SC/ST and minority voters across the country, the Dalit leader opined.

Since 2014, with the consolidation of the Hindu vote in the country and the “use” of the minorities by the Congress over the years, the cat was out of the bag, resulting in consecutive defeats for the Congress across the country.