Congress party, it seems, is gearing up to jump into the electoral battlefield from the historic grounds of Moga. After the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) kick-started their campaigns from the political “hotbed”, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address an election rally on January 3 from Moga to sound the party’s poll bugle.
Over the past few years, Moga has emerged as an important political nerve centre in Punjab’s politics. Not just the Akali Dal, which has been its major rallies and conferences at Moga, but the Congress party and AAP have also preferred to start their political campaign from this place — a centrally located Malwa district in the heart of Punjab. Moreover, Moga has also been a breeding ground of farmers’ and farm unions’ activities. Only recently, SAD launched its campaign for 2022 polls by organising a massive show of strength at Moga to commemorate the completion of 100 years of party’s foundation. Before that, in March, AAP kick-started its state’s election campaign by organizing ‘Kisan Maha Sammelan’ — a rally dedicated to the farmers and in support of their protest against three farm laws at Baghapurana. Now, the Congress party has chosen Moga, which holds a special place in Punjab’s political scene, to set in motion its election campaign. The Gandhi scion, Rahul Gandhi, would be addressing the rally in Moga on January 3 to give a much-needed push to the party’s poll campaign in Punjab, which is facing a strong anti-incumbency and several challengers—including AAP, SAD-BJP alliance, BJP-Punjab Lok Congress alliance, and farmers’ led Samyukta Sanjha Morcha, among other factions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to address a rally in the state, however the venue is yet to be decided.
On October 4, 2020, when the state’s farmers were leading the protest against the Centre’s three farm laws, which now stand repealed, Rahul Gandhi had held ‘Kheti Bachao Yatra’, riding a tractor, with the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, and interacted with the farmers before addressing a rally in Badhni Kalan.
Before 2019 parliamentary polls too, Congress had launched its election campaign from Moga with Rahul Gandhi addressing ‘Mission 13’ rally at Killi Chahlan. In fact, ahead of 2017 Punjab polls, the ‘Captain Liyao, Punjab Bachao’ rally was held at Baghapurana to build up a support for Capt Amarinder and pressurise the high command to appoint him as state Congress chief in pace of Partap Singh Bajwa, who was, at that time, facing a strong rebellion from within the party.
The Congress, it seems, understands the significance of Moga in Punjab’s politics — which has emerged as the hub of various social and political movements — having ramifications at the national scene.
Moga has been a politically active area even in the days of the freedom struggle, before Independence in 1947. The well-known freedom fighter, Lala Lajpat Rai, hailed from Dhudike village in Moga district. It also came into limelight in 1972 as a students’ movement caused ripples in Punjab. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who had initiated a separatist movement against the government in the late 1970s, hailed from Rode village near Moga.
Interestingly, Akalis have been launching their political campaigns from Moga before going for the assembly polls, as was witnessed in 1996, 2006 and in 2011, before bouncing back to power — first time in Punjab’s political history.
