CHANDIGARH: While almost every political party contesting the assembly polls in Punjab has rolled out a social engineering formula in fielding candidates, they seem to have not given any importance to the ex-servicemen community during nominations this time. This is even though Punjab is one of the largest contributors of soldiers into the armed forces and has lakhs of veterans.
A scrutiny of the records revealed that there are hardly four-five candidates from the ex-servicemen fraternity from all the political outfits who have been given tickets for the assembly polls. Former chief minister Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) has fielded two military veterans — Capt from Patiala and retired Subedar Bhola Singh Hasanpur from Budhlada. One of the largest political outfits of Punjab, the SAD has given only one ticket to an ex-serviceman — Capt Harminder Singh, who has been fielded from Sultanpur Lodhi.
The Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), an outfit formed by some farmer leaders, has fielded one veteran, Col Malwinder Singh Guron, from Sahnewal assembly segment. Surprisingly, no name of a military veteran has surfaced from the Congress. AAP leader Harpal Cheema also expressed ignorance about any military veteran being fielded by the party in the upcoming polls.
According to military veterans, the number of veterans in polls is extremely low considering the fact that the state has a significant presence of veterans and widows. Punjab has around four lakh retired military veterans, including widow pensioners, and lakhs of members of their family. Apart from this, there are around 21 large cantonments in the state.
In the farmers’ agitation on Delhi borders, the ex-servicemen from Punjab were among the most active groups. Even a serving soldier of the Army, who was posted in Jammu and Kashmir, was seen participating in the farmers’ agitation in Bathinda. Later, the Army had even ordered a court of inquiry into the incident.
In the 2017 assembly polls, prominent veterans who contested included former Army chief General J J Singh from SAD and Brig Raj Kumar, a former military intelligence officer, from AAP. It was for the first time in the country that a retired Army chief was contesting for assembly polls. Gen V K Singh (retd), a native of Haryana and former Army chief, had successfully contested Lok Sabha elections from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh on BJP ticket. However, Capt Amarinder has formed his own party, PLC; General J J Singh has joined BJP but not been given a ticket. Brig Raj Kumar has also switched his loyalties to SAD.
Capt Bikramjit Singh, a Shaurya Chakra (country’s third highest peacetime gallantry award) awardee, who had contested as AAP candidate from Khemkaran in Taran Taran district, has joined SAD now and is not contesting this time.
There are several active ex-servicemen welfare organisations in Punjab that have been taking up issues related to the veterans. These became more active and organised after the veterans had launched the much publicised issue of One Rank One Pension in 2008.
Brig Kuldip Singh Kahlon, former director, Sainik Welfare Punjab. and now running an NGO, All India Defence Brotherhood, said veterans are the most disciplined lot in the society, honest and can provide clean and efficient governance but unfortunately the major political parties have ignored them in the elections.
Sharing another factor behind the poor presence of veterans in polls, Brig Kahlon said he knew a large number of ex-servicemen who wanted to contest elections this time but backed out due to money constraints as contesting polls involves huge money.
Former military intelligence officer, Brig Raj Kumar (retd), who is vice-president of SAD, said a military man has experience of working in versatile and most hostile environment and can prove to be a better political leader to handle problems including security, financial crisis, corruption, social degradation and other social evils in public life.
Lt Col S S Sohi, who is also running an NGO for the welfare of ex-servicemen in Mohali, said military veterans had given major contribution in the farmers’ agitation at the Delhi borders and the same was also recognised. “Unfortunately, they have not been given prominence by the major political parties in the elections. The political parties hardly bothered about our rights and requirements. The ESM (ex-servicemen) fraternity needs to be more organised and active so that politicians can consider them a vote bank, he added.
