By Jaideep Sarin, IANS,
Khatkar Kalan (Punjab) : On Punjab’s political roadmap, as the main parties warm up to assembly elections early next year, all roads seem to lead to this ancestral village of one of best known martyrs of India’s freedom struggle, Bhagat Singh.
Wednesday, the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, will be one day when millions of people are expected to descend on this village along the Ropar-Phagwara highway as the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and the opposition Congress hold parallel political rallies.
Officially both sides are claiming that the rallies are ‘Shradhanjali Samarohs’ or ceremonies to pay tribute.
That is not all.
Former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh, who was expelled from the ruling Akali Dal after his rebellious posturing October last year, is also headed for this village March 27.
He is expected to announce his new political party in this village which is known for its links to the heroics of martyr Bhagat Singh.
Bhagat Singh, born Sep 28, 1907, at Lyallpur (now in Pakistan), was condemned to the gallows March 23, 1931, during the British rule. He was charged with conspiracy against the British government. He was only 23 at that time.
His ancestral village, 80 km from Chandigarh, is well-developed with metalled and concrete roads, landscaped gardens with fountains and several big houses – reflecting the swings of prosperity of the area due to the influence of non-resident Indians (NRIs).
Rallies by the ruling alliance and the opposition Congress are already being seen as a political showdown by both sides in the warm-up to the assembly polls scheduled to be held in February-March next year.
“It will be one of the biggest rallies. We are expecting lakhs of people for the event. Special arrangements are being made for accommodating so many people,” Shiromani Akali Dal secretary Daljit Singh Cheema said here.
The venue of the ruling alliance rally will have a covered canopy spread over nearly 20 acres. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister and Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal, senior BJP leaders and others are expected to address the rally.
The opposition Congress is sparing no effort to get maximum mileage from the event.
“We are arranging over 1 lakh (100,000) chairs for people coming for our rally. Thousands of others will attend the rally standing or sitting on the ground,” a senior Congress leader said.
Both sides are not only making arrangements by setting up huge tents to accommodate people and shield them from the sun and heat, but also arranging buses, trucks and other vehicles to ferry people to their respective venues.
Community kitchens are being organised by both sides for people coming for the rallies.
The district authorities and police of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (earlier called Nawan Shehr) district have announced several diversions for traffic along the Ropar-Phagwara national highway.
Traffic from Jalandhar-Phagwara, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur side has been diverted to other roads in view of the large number of people coming to this village Wednesday.