Fishing in Punjab’s troubled waters: As politicos seek to ride flood wave with photo ops, greenhorn AAP MLA wades ahead

A singer-turned-politician, Gurdev is an MLA from the reserved constituency of Nabha in Patiala, the worst flood-hit district in the state. The past few days have seen the legislator photographed with chillies plucked from a flooded field, feeding bananas to monkeys, “plugging a breach” standing in chest-deep water, carrying a child on his shoulders through waters, cleaning a drain, transplanting paddy seeds and feeding cattle, among other things.

MLA Gurdev Maan posing with chillies in a flooded field. (Photo: Facebook/DevMann)

As the MLA’s photo, dressed in a simple T-shirt and pyjamas, a turban casually wrapped around his head, swamps the social media, the Opposition has hit back, questioning Gurdev’s “antics”, mocking him for having “rescued mirchiyan (chilies)” and for pretending to swim with a rubber tube around waist in “just 2-feet water”.

Many have also pointed out that in all these ventures, Gurdev has a photographer tailing him like a shadow.

Gurdev appears to have hit this water trail soon after he faced protests in his constituency Nabha for allegedly not doing enough to stop rainwater flooding and to strengthen the banks of local streams. On one such occasion, the MLA had to turn back from a village after protesters stopped his vehicle raising slogans against the AAP.

This would have been bad news for Gurdev, 53, who has built his image around being one with the people. Elected MLA for the first time last year, he attracted eyeballs by arriving at the Vidhan Sabha on Day 1 on a bicycle. He announced he would neither accept an official vehicle, nor security, and take Re 1 as token salary.

A photographer clicks MLA Maan as he rescues people in a flooded village. (Photo: Facebook/DevMann)

The promise proved short-lived with Gurdev spotted not long after travelling in an official car, escorted with security. An RTI reply revealed that he was drawing his salary and other allowances, much like his colleagues. The day he was turned away from the Nabha village too, he was in an official vehicle with security.

Recently, photos surfaced showing him with ostensibly “rescued” turtles and crocodiles, which Gurdev claims were “morphed”.

He adds that he is not bothered by Opposition criticism, and accuses “IT cells of the BJP, Akali Dal and Congress” of targeting him because he is “in line to be the Deputy CM of Punjab”. “Opposition parties are giving me free publicity. It is good for me,” he adds.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Gurdev says: “I am the son of a labourer. I am from a Dalit family that has seen struggle all through life. I go among people dressed like them because I want to tell them that I am like them and standing with them in this tough hour.”

Maan also got clicked while feeding cattle during floods. (Photo: Facebook/DevMann)

Accusing the Opposition parties of circulating his edited photos, he adds: “They know I am working on the ground and discussions are on about me being in line to be the Deputy CM of Punjab. The Deputy CM is likely to be a Dalit face, and I am among the top contenders.” During the Assembly elections, Gurdev’s song “Jhaadu wala button daba dio Punjabiyo” was the campaign song of the AAP.

Regarding the photo of him with chillies that has been made fun of by the Opposition, Gurdev says he had gone to check the fields of a farmer who grew chilies. “I wasn’t ‘rescuing’ chilies but just trying to show the losses suffered by farmers.”

Underlining his regard for the people of his constituency, Gurdev talks about how his wife, who is from Vietnam, lives in Canada and holds permanent residency there. “But I am living in a rented room in Nabha. Neither do I own a house, nor a vehicle, except a bicycle.”

He adds that several villages in his constituency might have got marooned had he himself not plugged breaches. “I stood in water all through the night holding sandbags. I have transplanted paddy seedlings for farmers who lost their crop and saved 2,000 cows in a gaushala from drowning.”

A photographer clicks MLA and his supporters during floods. (Photo: Facebook/DevMann)

On his vow earlier to not use official vehicles and security, and accept only Re 1 as salary, Gurdev says: “I discussed this with the CM, and he told me that I should take a vehicle to tour my constituency and attend meetings in Chandigarh… Yes, I am drawing a salary but it is not for my own work. I am using it to help the needy. For instance, recently, on the CM’s (Bhagwant Mann’s) wedding anniversary, I gave sewing machines to 40 needy women… I am donating Rs 1 lakh for flood operations. Soon, we will also distribute ration kits to the needy.”

On his presence across social media, Gurdev says his photographer is also his social media handler and hence always accompanies him. “He has been with me since I was struggling. He clicks everything and posts on my page.”

Congress-turned-BJP leader Fatehjung Bajwa, among those critical of Gurdev’s “stunning photoshoots”, says: “We saw him brazenly posing for pictures in the middle of a state highway, frolicking in only 2 feet of water.”

Warring, the Punjab Congress president, accuses “the entire AAP of having fun in the floods”.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann walking in inundated field (left), Sukhbir Badal touring flooded areas on a tractor (center) and Ex-CM Captain Amarinder Singh’s daughter Jai Inder Kaur (now in BJP) in waist-deep waters (right).

Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar recently shared a video of a team of shutterbugs purportedly directing CM Mann to pose in inundated fields, and tweeted: “Light, camera, action! (Opposition leaders) silent please – Photo shoot in progress. SHAME @BhagwantMann ji”.

Jakhar added: “If the CM himself is obsessed with photos and selfies, what to say about his MLAs?… It is not his (the CM’s) job to roam around in flooded fields and get clicked.”

Malwinder Kang, spokesperson of Punjab AAP, says the Opposition is just worried as the photos of the party’s MLAs and CM prove that “at least they are working on the ground”. “Our CM doesn’t come from elite families, unlike Sukhbir Badal and Partap Singh Bajwa, who have ruled for generations. It is because of the Akali Dal-BJP and Congress that illegal structures were cleared for decades, obstructing the natural river flow, leading to the floods in Punjab.”

Specifically targeting Jakhar’s statement, Kang said: “Do we really need to tell Jakhar saab who is the most photo-obsessed person in his party? None other than our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”