In theory, elections are about winning the popular mandate. In practice, election campaigns rarely respect the line that divides genuine political popularity from crass populism.

The current run-up to the Punjab assembly elections in mid-February appears no different. Outlandish promises are being made to the electorate and outrageous allegations being hurled at rivals.

Often, this leaves me cold. But occasionally, it gets me hot under the collar. Is this what democracy is supposed to be all about? Is anyone discussing the real issues? Or pointing out that the real issues are not being discussed?

What are the real issues in Punjab? Let me take up two.

The agrarian economy of Punjab is stuck in what can only be described as a quagmire. The situation is messier than is made out either by those who run governments or those whose hearts apparently bleed for the Punjabi peasantry. Everybody harps on how foodgrain production reached a plateau years ago, and agricultural incomes have stagnated since then, or even declined when we calculate the cost of inputs.

But is there a political party in Punjab bold and honest enough to declare that the state’s economy has to operate in the larger context of the Indian economy, now increasingly driven by market forces? Will anyone openly admit that free or nearly free power to the farmer cannot be maintained for all times to come? Or that minimum support prices cannot be increased every year? Or that prompt purchase of food grains by governments agencies cannot be assured forever?

... contd.