SANGRUR: Girl power is propelling the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) campaign in Punjab ahead of the February 4 Assembly polls. When Narinder Kaur Bharaj, 22, is the Joan of Arc of Bharaj village in Sangrur, takes stage, everyone listens in rapt attention to her vibrant pitch. No wonder this feisty girl is the popular campaigner of AAP here. Meanwhile, Navjot Kaur Lambi, 18, too holds the crowds riveted with her arresting talk. Campaigning in the key constituencies of Lambi, Jalalabad and Sangrur these days, they are expected to address the public across the state.
Narinder, who is pursuing post graduation in Sociology, is the daughter of a farmer and is referred to as ‘brave girl’ for becoming an AAP polling agent in her village in Sangrur during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, after all other youngsters shielded away from the job in the face of threats by other parties. Bhagwant Mann was the candidate from Sangrur then and became her mentor subsequently. Narinder, with her hair pulled back from her face and plaited, instantly strikes a chord with the crowd with her disarming smile and conversational style of speeches.
“I am the braveheart lioness of Punjab and I will stand with you for Punjab in the same fashion in which Mai Bhago stood with Sikh Gurus (Mai punjab de sherni hai, jeve mai bhago guru sahib de nal khari si owein hi mai ghara gi),’’ she says.
Narinder criticizes Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal and Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh and speaks on the menace of drugs which is eating into the youth of the state, at her talks. She also talks about “Inqalab’’ and the issues of unemployment, mining mafia, safety of women, farmer suicides and the incidents of desecration that rocked the state last year.
She says, “The system has collapsed, and problems like drugs and unemployment need to be tackled effectively.’’
Narinder, the campaign manager of her party in Sangrur, says her speeches are extempore and that, “It comes deep down from her heart”. Perhaps it is her personal experience that comes out in her talk, as drugs had wrecked the life of her father, and he keeps unwell even after kicking the habit.
Meanwhile, Navjot Kaur, a BSc (first year) student from Kheowali village in Lambi constituency gets a standing ovation from the public at every gathering with her short and crispy speech, and is the star campaigner for AAP nominee Jarnail Singh in Lambi. This farmer’s daughter is from a family with no link to politics, but sways the crowd with ease.
“I just speak whatever comes to my mind and can easily speak on issues related to Punjab,” she says. Kaur says taking part in the declamation contests during school boosted her confidence. “I gravitated towards AAP due to their policies and the Jan Lokpal movement,” she adds.
She was the star speaker when Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal visited Lambi.
Both girls have about 15,000 followers each on their respective Facebook pages and videos of their vibrant and rousing speeches are uploaded by the party every day.