CHANDIGARH: With less than a year left for the assembly elections in Punjab, the ruling Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Shiromani Akali Dal are already gearing up for the contest.
However, the BJP is facing severe public backlash in view of the ongoing protest against the farm laws.
On Sunday, Union minister Som Parkash had to face the ire of farmers as they tried to stop his vehicle near the BJP district office in Hoshiarpur where he had gone for a meeting with party workers.
Farmers also waived back flags at the BJP leader.
Recently, state vice-president Parveen Bansal was gheraoed by farmers in Barnala and had to be shifted to the circuit house for a while.
Last week, BJP MLA from Abohar Arun Narang was allegedly thrashed and his clothes torn by a group of farmers at Malout in Muktsar district.
During the civic polls, BJP leaders were not allowed to campaign. Punjab BJP President Ashwani Sharma and former union minister Vijay Sampla faced farmers’ ire at many places including Kapurthala, Moga, Jalandhar, Amritsar. Sharma’s car was attacked near Hoshiarpur.
Still, the party’s state unit is trying to garner some support via public gatherings.
“We will be organising two to three programs daily. In May, we will be organising a big rally in either Ludhiana or Jalandhar,” said Dinesh Kumar, organising secretary of Punjab BJP.
In neighbouring Haryana, protests against the BJP-JJP and Independent MLAs who support the government have intensified.
CM ML Khattar, Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, ministers, MLAs and MPs are facing the ire of agitating farmers. Last week, Chautala was not allowed to come out of the airport for two hours.