Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will do well to seek the cooperation of the Punjabi Diaspora for regaining the State’s Glory

“Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it”. Conversely, those who learn from history are most likely to succeed.

In politics, as in every other sphere, one looks for success. Narendra Modi who was not welcome in the United States of America for more than a decade got his opportunity to visit the greatest democracy of the world after he became the Prime Minister of India. And one of the first initiatives he took was to connect with the Indian Diaspora. He came to America and established a rapport with the Indian Diaspora, and in particular with the Gujarati Diaspora. His outreach to the Indian Diaspora helped him create his  positive image  here in America which resulted in his influence with the US administration and with the corporate sector which, of course, in due course resulted in significant investments and partnerships, giving fillip  to Indian businesses and the nation’s economy. It is always a chain reaction. One step leads to another And Prime Minister Modi soon learnt how useful it is to connect with the Diaspora , and he traveled to many more countries to replicate his US experience. Today, the Indian Diaspora is one of his major strengths. The Indian Diaspora is his mouthpiece abroad. Taking cue from him, a number of chief ministers reached out to the Indian Diaspora and got many involved in contributing to the growth of their respective states. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh benefitted immensely.

Punjabi Diaspora has for too long been neglected. No government in  Punjab seriously considered connecting with the Punjabi Diaspora to involve them in the development of Punjab. There have been a few chief ministers during the past few decades who visited the US, Canada and the UK, but the seriousness of purpose was missing. Their visits were  more in the nature of tourism than in the serious business of a meaningful dialogue with the Punjabi Diaspora to secure their cooperation   in the growth of  the State.

Punjabis love their motherland as no other people may. The love of Punjabis for their lands and the people is unique. That is why even though the successive governments have not bothered to reach out to them many have on their own undertaken projects to help out their brethren in many ways. There are schools being funded by the NRI Punjabis. There are dispensaries and health centers being funded by the NRI Punjabis. There are many organizations that support widows and orphans, and organize mass weddings. They provide these services out of  love for Punjab and its people.

It will be in the interest of the new government in Punjab to learn from Mr. Modi’s experience, even though they may not like the man himself, and connect with the Punjabi Diaspora on a priority basis. It is a strong Diaspora in terms of numerical strength, financial prowess, influence in the countries that they live in,  and the willingness to give,  which the Sikh Gurus have taught the people of Punjab.

The Punjabi Diaspora is ready to contribute to the development of the State of Punjab. Is the new chief minister of Punjab equally ready to seek their cooperation? Time, of course, is always of essence.