The enigma of the Captain

Punjab was arguably the only honourable exception to the recent decimation of Congress, and the man who defended his citadel valiantly, was the 'Maharaja' of the foremost Phulkian State, Patiala - Captain Amarinder Singh, from the 2nd Sikh Regiment. The proud former soldier and military historian, who wears his soldering lineage on his heart and sleeve, lived up to his regimental motto, 'Nischay Kar Apni Jeet Karon' (With determination, I will be triumphant). Now in his second innings as Punjab's chief minister, the venerable politician has been an enigma within Congress itself and has not shied from holding his own. As part of the 'Dosco' brat-pack, he entered the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1980, and by 1984 he had already quit Parliament to protest against Operation Blue Star and then joined the Shiromani Akali Dal. Later the irrepressible Captain had broken away and formed his own Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic), only to rejoin Congress in 1998 – completing an arduous political journey, entirely on his own terms. These terms included a certain stridency of position on riparian issues, the status of Chandigarh, 1984 riots, etc., which allowed him to appropriate, personify and magnify the emotive issues, as his own – unlike the 'centrist-surrender' that most other Congress satraps had surrendered to, in deference to the party headquarters in Delhi.

This assertive nature has often led to uncomfortable whispers in a party that typically does not brook too many 'opinions', and his telling delays and 'qualifications' in accepting the diktats of the party HQ in Delhi on party issues, has been a subject of constant wonderment. Unlike most other provincial heads, the Captain had a say in staying Kamalnath's move as the possible Congress-in-charge for Punjab given the 1984 sensitivities, and accepting a fellow-royal from Himachal Pradesh, Asha Kumari, as the person who could deliver in tandem with the mercurial leader. Like most of his political journey, the infantryman had to walk through the minefield of party-intrigues, reconciliations and accommodations that were either circumstantially or deliberately enforced upon him. Usually, he ensured that he had his way, or temporarily acceded to the 'accommodation' that was not completely to his liking, whilst making his own position amply clear. The handling of previous President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Pratap Singh Bajwa and later in managing the equally larger than life and fellow Patiala-man, Navjot Singh Sidhu, defined the Captains' no-nonsense approach. Not one to hold back, the Captain had publically stated his mind on his Sidhu's bonhomie with the Pakistan Army Chief by bluntly stating, "To hug their Chief General Bajwa... I am against this. The fact is that the man should understand that our soldiers are being killed. My own regiment lost one Major and two jawans a few months ago and every day somebody is being shot". Unlike the seeming indecisiveness of the other senior Congressman, the Captain did not surrender the much-needed muscularity-of-the-moment and did some old fashioned, plain-speak.

As the narrative of nationalism was usurped and appropriated by the ruling dispensation in the electoral season in most part of the country – the Captain held forth on emotive issues like Balakot and 'Surgical Strikes', often by inserting a fine point on the debate. His individuality and vocal style of opinion without restraint, for instance, slamming visiting Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan, gave the Captain an impregnable shield of Teflon-armour that insulated him from the perceived ineffability of his party in general, whilst espousing local and national issues unreservedly. The Captain insisted on certain pre-poll imperatives and choice of contestants that raised eyebrows – but he stuck to his guns and ensured that the popular campaigner Navjot Singh Sidhu was used, exclusively out of Punjab. The intrinsic Punjabi bravado of a high-risk-high-gain attitude more than matched the battle-rattle of BJP, and even the most ill-timed 'hua toh hua' (Sam Pitroda on 1984 controversy) that was suitably amplified to pierce the seemingly impregnable fortress of Punjab, came a cropper.

The captain led from the front and banked eight out of the 13 seats at stake in Punjab, with the Akalis and BJP shared two each and AAP reduced to just 1. Crucially he is over two years at the helm of affairs and bereft of the tailwind factor that ought to have accrued to the recently Congress-won states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh , and Chhattisgarh – where the grand old party could only win four out of the 61 seats at stake! The difference in the leadership styles within the same party could not have been more glaring, with the Captain demanding and asserting complete control of his campaign. Today, the Captain has upped the ante and questioned Navjot Sidhu's timing of grievances, relevance and overall impact within the politics of Punjab. Clearly, the Captain wants to bash on regardless, and his last battle results legitimise his ambitions.

Unsurprisingly, he is often paid a left-handed compliment by his opponents who decry him as 'the right man in the wrong party' - the Captain has too much of a sense of history to display political opportunism, even as his parent party fumbles haplessly. He outmarches the ruling dispensation on perceived muscularity, as was typified in the opening sentence of his manifesto in 2017, 'If there is one word that describes Punjab, it is "Izzat" (honour). Our history, culture, and way of life are replete with instances where we have lived and died for honour and prestige of our motherland'. As Congress slips into yet another round of introspection of what went wrong in the recently held General Elections – it ironically has a successful template of what-went-right in the Captain in Punjab. These elections were not really about the real socio-economic issues as they should have been, rather they were about personalities – this odd battle was won by the Captain singularly, and herein lies real lessons for Congress to mull, imbibe, and exhibit.

Lt General Bhopinder Singh (Retd) is a former Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands & Puducherry.

The views expressed are strictly personal