Will Channi's 'UP Bhaiye' Remark Cost Cong? Lakhs of Migrants are a Strong Poll Hammer in Punjab Now

With politics heating up in Punjab over Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s remarks over ‘UP, Bihar bhaiyas (brothers)’, one is forced to ask: what lies at the center of this heated debate, and does it signal a major setback for the Congress’s CM face with just two days to go before the assembly elections?

The answer is, perhaps. With migrants at the heart of this issue, who form a major part of the state, the statement may come back to bite Channi, and not just in the form of Opposition slams, but in political repercussions too.

Let’s take a look first at what Channi said during a rally: “Priyanka Gandhi is the daughter-in-law of Punjab. Will not let the ‘Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi de bhaiye’, who have come here to rule, enter the state.” However, his statement invited massive criticism, right from Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi, campaigning in Fazilka on Thursday, shot back at Channi, saying, “Congress always pits people of one region against others so that their car keeps on moving. The entire country heard what Punjab chief minister said yesterday and his Delhi family, his ‘malik’ was clapping. Whom did they insult by that statement? There will not be any village here where our brothers and sisters from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are not toiling.” His statement was a direct reference to lakhs of migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, who work in the state.

This not all, Channi’s remarks also led to party leader Manish Tewari recalling his own experience with personal bias due to such a mindset in the state. “The Bhaiya controversy is like the Black issue in the US. It is reflective of an unfortunate systemic and institutionalised social bias against migrants stretching back to the inception of the Green Revolution. At a personal level, despite my mother being a Jat Sikh and my father being the foremost exponent of Punjab – Punjabi- Punjabiyat who laid down his life for Hindu-Sikh amity, because of my surname name, it is said behind my back ‘Eh Bhaiya Kithon Agha’ peppered with the choicest expletives in Punjabi – We have to root it out,” he said on Twitter.

Migrants In Focus

According to a report in Hindustan by political analyst Hemant Chauhan, there are an estimated 43 lakh migrants in Punjab, out of whom 50 per cent are also eligible to vote in the state. The report states that there are an estimated 10 lakh migrant labourers in the state, mostly from Bihar, UP and Jharkhand, who have moved to the state due to urbanisation and industrialisation. Many migrants are also involved in business activities here.

The state also has many political leaders, MLAs and MPs who have migrated from other states. And now, with the increase in urban voters, their interference in politics has also increased, the report states. An interesting thing which has happened over the years is the printing of election material, voter list and poster banners in Hindi, in many areas of the state. Many leaders are also seen giving speeches in Hindi, in a Punjabi accent. According to the report, such an election atmosphere can be seen in Derabassi area near Chandigarh, where there are a large number of industrial units.

Channi Circles Back

After the onslaught of criticism, Channi and the Congress cadre seemed to understand the political repercussions the statement could bring, with the CM’s clarification aimed at assuaging migrants — “My statements were distorted. I want to say it again, that Durgesh Pathak, Sanjay Singh and Kejriwal come from outside and create obstructions. I have talked about them. But those who come from UP, Bihar or Rajasthan to Punjab and work here, Punjab is equally theirs like ours… All the migrants who have come to Punjab have always worked for the development of the state.”

Priyanka Gandhi too lent him her support, reiterating that his statement had merely been misconstrued. However, it remains to be seen what the political impact of this entire controversy will come to.

Channi has been selected as the Chief Ministerial candidate from the Congress party for the upcoming polls. Punjab is scheduled to go for polling on February 20. The state is witnessing a heated contest between the ruling Congress, BJP and AAP.

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