How Parkash Singh Badal drew on Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s legacy

Over time, more was done to project this myth. “In keeping with his promise to provide a rule reminiscent of the legendary Maharaja Ranjit Singh, CM Badal announces two schemes: an annual Rs 1 lakh award to the police officer deemed most honest and cash rewards to those who helped track down corrupt officials,” reads a Punjab government press note from 1998.

But it was not just the administrative success of the Lion of Punjab. Badal also wanted to create a personal connection with the people. Soon after becoming CM for his third term in 1997, he launched Sangat Darshan — a public outreach programme modelled on the legendary emperor’s rule — to remain accessible to the people, where he would call people by their names.

He was no doubt an accessible chief minister, whom people could meet at his home or office without having to pull many strings. He was also very social, and wouldn’t miss any Bhog ceremony at his Assembly constituency of Lambi. A common sight at his Sangat Darshans was of someone arguing with the security to enter, before the CM would personally ask the latter to let the visitor through.

In fact, the SAD(B)’s slogan for the 2007 Assembly elections was “Raj nahin, seva (Not rule, but service)”, which was inspired by the Maharaja. Soon after forming government for the fourth time in 2007, Badal visited Ranjit Singh’s village, Badrukhan in Sangrur, on the emperor’s birth anniversary, to announce the setting up of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Memorial Adarsh School there. He also installed a statue of the Maharaja in a park developed for the purpose, donated Rs 10 lakh towards buildings of primary and senior-secondary schools in the village, as well as a Rs 3 lakh grant for the renovation of the local veterinary hospital.

As always, he did not forget the optics. While making the announcements, Badal criticised former CM Amarinder Singh for not celebrating the Maharaja’s birthday during the latter’s tenure between 2002 and 2007.

At a ceremony in 2016 to gift a bust of the Maharaja to Henri Allard, the deputy Mayor of the French city of Saint Tropez, he said his government had initiated a number of pro-people schemes for the welfare of every strata of society, following in the footsteps of the Maharaja.

His governments also set up the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Technical University at Bathinda in 2015, and the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Academy at SAS Nagar in 2011. In his last term as CM, he had a large statue of the Maharaja installed on the heritage street leading to the Darbar Sahib in Amritsar, at the same place where the British had once installed a statue of the then Queen of England.

Akali leaders were also encouraged to make these parallels in their speeches. Former Rajya Sabha member Balwinder Singh Bhunder, in 2016, had said, “After Maharaja Ranjit Singh, it’s Badal sa’ab who has brought Punjab back on the world map. He is a true worker of the Panth and we have to make the next year historic by winning the elections for him.”

Even when he tried to send a message to the Centre in 2020, he used the Maharaja’s name to give heft to his advice, while pragmatically evading any mention of his long-term electoral ally. He said, “It is a matter of grave concern that the present situation in the country is not that good. If you have to succeed in running the government, all religions should be respected. You should take along [with you] the minorities and your allies, so that all brothers can consider themselves part of a family. Governments and political parties must take lessons from Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Among his top five ministers, three were Hindu, and one each Muslim and Sikh. He didn’t do it for votes…”

Ironically, the Badal family patriarch who strode on India’s political firmament for decades, failed to smoothly transfer power to his political heirs, leaving his party in deep crisis — in much the same way that Maharaja Ranjit Singh had once left the Sikh empire he had established in crisis, leading to its rapid disintegration.