In the rough and tumble of Punjab politics, a prehistoric analogy has become the weapon of choice for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has consistently labelled the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as "dinosaurs," suggesting the once-dominant force is now politically extinct. This jibe, first used during the 2022 Assembly election campaign, has evolved into a full-fledged narrative battle following the recent rural body elections.
The Chief Minister's Prehistoric Punch
Bhagwant Mann's comparison is stark and intentional. He has stated that just as dinosaurs vanished from the earth, the political era of the Badal family and their brand of politics will be completely wiped from Punjab's landscape. This remark stems from his assertion that the people of Punjab have already rejected the Akalis for their alleged "misrule."
The context is crucial. In the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, the SAD managed to win only three seats—one each from the Malwa, Doaba, and Majha regions. This catastrophic result cemented Mann's view of the party as a relic. He had earlier described both the Congress and Akalis as the "deadwood" of Punjab politics, calling them "power-hungry politicians living in a fool's paradise."
The analogy was repeated during a Bathinda rally ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and again recently. After the Tarn Taran by-election, where AAP retained the seat but SAD finished second, Mann mocked the Akalis' renewed optimism. "After winning two rounds in Tarn Taran byelection, Akalis are buoyed. They are now going around holding the dinosaur. They should realise that dinosaurs have gone extinct. And these people will never come back to power," he said.
SAD's Counter-Attack: Dinosaurs Hatching Eggs?
Far from accepting the label, the Akali Dal has turned the dinosaur metaphor on its head, using it to signal a political resurrection. Following the rural polls, a wave of memes and a song flooded social media, often featuring SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal with a life-sized dinosaur toy. The narrative pushed is that the dinosaurs are coming back to life.
SAD spokesperson Parambans Singh Bunty Romana offered a spirited counter. He highlighted the party's performance in the recent zila parishad elections, stating, "The CM should know that we are making chairpersons in three zila parishads. He is talking about a single Assembly segment. The dinosaurs are coming to life to haunt him." Romana referenced a viral video suggesting the rural polls results were like dinosaur eggs for the Akalis, which would hatch and multiply by the 2027 Assembly elections.
The party also raised serious allegations about the election process. An Akali leader claimed their candidates were blocked from contesting, with nomination papers rejected at about 1,000 places. They argued that they could only contest in 1,814 out of 2,838 block samitis, implying they would have outperformed the Congress if allowed a fair fight.
The Numbers Tell a Story of Shifting Ground
The data from the rural elections reveals why both sides are clinging to their narratives. In 2018, the SAD won 63 block samitis and 18 zila parishads. This time, their tally jumped significantly to 445 block samitis and 62 zila parishads. While not a sweeping victory, it marks a notable recovery from their 2022 Assembly election debacle.
This improvement has not gone unnoticed by rivals. An AAP leader, speaking anonymously, acknowledged the shift, stating, "They have come on second in so many bodies while Congress is on number three. It shows they have regained and need to be watched." This admission hints at a potential reconfiguration of Punjab's opposition space, with the SAD aiming to displace the Congress as the principal challenger to AAP.
The political battle in Punjab is now framed by this unusual paleontological debate. While Chief Minister Mann uses the dinosaur analogy to write the Akali Dal's obituary, the party itself is leveraging the same imagery to proclaim a comeback. As the state looks ahead to the 2027 elections, the question remains: Is the SAD a fossil destined for a museum, or a creature preparing for a new reign?
