Punjab is the land of Gurus, who taught the lesson of equality, no-discrimination on the basis of caste and creed, but the present-day political parties are trying to divide this unity of society into castes and sub-castes to woo the votes. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), with its vote bank majorly in Sikh Jats, who are now a divided house due to luring a segment by Aam Adami Party (AAP). Captained by its supremo Arvind Kejriwal, AAP succeeded in getting power riding on the boat of the business community and presenting the face of Jat Sikh – Bhagwant Singh Mann to attract Sikh Jats, who had generally been the supporting group of SAD, also it snatched some Congress base votes. Congress tried to fetch the votes of Dalits by giving the reign of Chief Ministership in the hands of Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit face, during 2022 assembly elections, but failed to get power as Sikh Jats parted away in favour of AAP seeing the CM face of Bhagwant Mann -a Sikh Jat. However, BJP, which till now had a meagre ground based on only upper caste Hindus, imported two so assessed big faces from the congress- Captain Amarinder Singh (A Sikh Jat) and Sunil Jakhar (A Hindu Jat) to enhance its base, but both these proved the fuse cartridges and the party couldn’t gain any moss.
In the present social and political equations, seeing no bright future, the BJP is trying its fate in luring the OBC vote bank, which till now has remained scattered as there was no such leader with any party who could mobilize this segment. But the problem with BJP is also that it still has no charismatic OBC leader in Punjab who can give headship to this segment. So, the party is utilizing the face of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini by exposing him as OBC leader.
Nayab Singh Saini, leaving aside his liability to govern the state as a full time Chief Minister, is using his precious time in visiting Punjab time and again, however this affects his duty as Haryana CM. He recently attended ‘Saini Samaj Samaroh’ at Dinanagar in Gurdaspur district of Punjab on Sunday, March 1, 2026 to unite his own Saini community first to further step into other OBC segments. His address on the occasion clearly states BJP’s agenda.
Nayab Singh Saini, while addressing a programme organised by the Saini Samaj at Dina Nagar in Gurdaspur said that Punjab is the sacred land of the Gurus, sacrifice and martyrdom. He said that even after suffering the trauma of Partition, the people of Punjab refused to succumb to despair and turned self-belief into their greatest strength.
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked to give due respect to the Saini samaj. By making a small worker like him the Chief Minister, he empowered the community.
The Chief Minister said that development in Punjab has been affected because power remained confined to a few hands. Now is the time to change the direction of politics. He expressed confidence that in the upcoming Assembly elections, the OBC community will unite and play a decisive role in forming a Bharatiya Janata Party government to make Punjab prosperous and vibrant once again.
He said that the OBC community constitutes 31 percent of Punjab’s population and should come together to become the axis of politics and play a significant role. Saini said that the situation in Punjab is currently very challenging. The state is grappling with unemployment, drug abuse, crime and migration, and the time has come to address these issues. The Saini samaj has a major role to play in this effort.
Recalling the contribution of the Saini samaj, the Chief Minister said that the community played an important role in the freedom movement. He remembered Sardar Mehnga Singh and Hari Singh Saini as jewels of the community and paid tribute to their contributions.
He said that the Saini community has always been at the forefront of humanitarian service. During floods in Punjab, members of the community extended significant assistance. Referring to Nek Chand Saini, the creator of the famous Rock Garden in Chandigarh, he said that he left an indelible mark in the field of art and culture.
Placing the election agenda of BJP before the audience, CM Saini said that the upcoming Punjab Assembly election is not merely about changing a government, but about changing the political direction of Punjab and ensuring respect for its society.
He said he felt proud to be present on this sacred land. He called upon everyone to work together to once again make Punjab a leading state on the path of development. He said, “Together, we must make Punjab ‘Rangla Punjab’ again.”
Claiming the green grass grooming by BJP, and highlighting the state government’s schemes, the Haryana Chief Minister said that free dialysis facilities are being provided to kidney patients in all hospitals and medical colleges in Haryana. Pensions are being delivered to senior citizens at their homes by the 10th of every month. Under the Lado Lakshmi Yojana, women are being given Rs. 2,100. Crops are being procured from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) with payment within 48 hours. Farmers are also benefiting from the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana.
Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Chief Minister said that before the Bihar elections, Rahul Gandhi had alleged vote theft in Haryana, but the people firmly rejected these allegations.
CM Saini expressed confidence that in the upcoming Assembly elections, the OBC community will unite and play a decisive role in forming a Bharatiya Janata Party government to make Punjab prosperous and vibrant once again. Though the party is presenting Saini as the leader of all backward classes, but as he belongs to Saini community, so other communities belonging to backward category will accept him as their leader or not. Will the scattered OBC people unite under the leadership of an outsider messenger of BJP high command?
Jag Mohan Thaken is a Senior Journalist, Columnist & Political Analyst, views are personal.
