The land pooling policy flames were yet to be doused, and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab is now firefighting another crisis. In an apparent self-goal ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, AAP’s Punjab affairs incharge Manish Sisodia’s recent “saam daam dand bhed” remark has kicked off a political storm in Punjab, with the Opposition demanding registration of a police case against the former Delhi deputy chief minister and approaching the Election Commission (EC) with a complaint.
The fresh crisis for the ruling party comes close on the heels of the controversial land pooling policy proposed by the AAP government, which it was forced to withdraw after massive backlash from the farmers, state-wide protests and a rap from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The policy aimed at developing urban infrastructure projects and townships by acquiring acres of fertile land from farmers.
What has kicked off the latest crisis for the AAP are Sisodia’s recent remarks at the party’s women’s wing leadership programme held in Mohali on August 13, attended by AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Addressing the party’s women workers, Sisodia, in his speech, which was broadcast live on the party’s YouTube channel, said: “…We have chalked out a detailed week-by-week plan of how our women workers will fan out across villages and streets of Punjab. Within one month, we plan to train every woman worker of the party in Punjab.”
Further implying that the AAP will do whatever it may take to win the 2027 elections in Punjab, Sisodia further said in his address that the party workers can also adopt “saam, daam, dand, bhed” and “ladaai jhagda”.
He said: “2027 ka chunaav jitvaane ke liye, saam, daam, dand, bhed, sach, jhooth, question, answer, laraai, jhagda jo karna padega karenge.. taiyyar hain josh ke saath? (To win the 2027 elections, we will do whatever it may take- saam, daam, dand, bhed, truth, lies, question-answer, fight, etc. Are you ready?)”
The phrase “saam, daam, dand, bhed” from the ancient Indian philosophy refers to the usage of a combination of tactics – persuasion and conciliation (saam), money, gifts to influence someone (daam), force or punishment to control others (dand) and creating division or exploiting weaknesses (bhed)- to achieve a goal in politics and diplomacy.
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The phrase is most widely attributed to ancient Indian philosopher Chanakya, the chief advisor to King Chandragupta Maurya. Chanakya had assisted the King in establishing the Mauryan Empire. The phrase, however, is also found in other ancient Indian philosophical texts.
Demanding immediate action and registration of a criminal case against the AAP for “violating law of the land”, BJP Punjab president Sunil Jakhar shot off a complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI), stating that Sisodia’s remarks “promote undemocratic methods and violate Indian law”.
“These remarks mock the value of peace, freedom and integrity and clearly indicate the AAP’s intention to undermine democratic process. “Saam” refers to misuse of government machinery, “daam” indicates usage of money and bribery, “dand” warns of punishment against those who refuse to support AAP and “bhed” to a dangerous plan to create communal and caste-based divisions in Punjab. “Sach and jhooth” refers to use of lies, propaganda and misinformation. “Ladaai and jhagda” directly promote violence and physical confrontation to silence opponents and create fear,” wrote Jakhar, further suggesting the sections of the Representation of the People Act under which Sisodia should be booked.
Kanwar Sandhu, a former AAP MLA who was suspended from the party and a veteran journalist-editor, wrote on X: “Manish Sisodia should be booked under section 171C of IPC (section 171 BNS) for his utterances- inducing voters to adopt legal or illegal practices to win polls.”
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Demanding the “cancellation of Sisodia’s bail”, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal also urged the EC to take action against Sisodia for “inciting fraternal bloodshed”.
“The EC is requested to order registration of a criminal case against Sisodia as the AAP government is not likely to take any action against their Delhi leader as CM Bhagwant Mann was a part of the audience when Sisodia made these incendiary remarks. The EC should also recommend cancellation of the bail granted to Sisodia which is being misused to indulge in corruption by bribing voters.”
Sukhbir further urged EC to debar AAP from contesting 2027 Punjab assembly elections in “view of its open assertion that it would use illegal methods to seek a mandate in its favour”.
Calling it a “confession of intent to destroy democracy”, Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa wrote on X: “When Sisodia openly declares that they will use “Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed, truth, lies & even violence” to win 2027 at any cost, it’s not a strategy- it’s a confession of intent to destroy democracy. He is admitting what I’ve said many times- BJP and AAP want to use unfair means. Two sides of the same dirty coin. For 3.5 years, AAP has failed to govern. Now, in desperation, they are ready to destroy Punjab’s peace, democracy & law and order.”
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AAP downplays Sisodia’s remarks
However, the AAP’s women wing president and Moga MLA Dr Amandeep Kaur, who was also in attendance at the Mohali event, said that the Opposition, which has “no other agenda against the AAP government”, was creating a mountain out of a molehill.
“Sisodia’s remarks are being presented out of context. That one line has been extracted from his entire speech and made viral. That’s because Opposition has nothing else against us. We aren’t the Akali Dal or the BJP, which together introduced drugs and gangsters in Punjab. Congress was the architect of the 1984 anti-Sikh genocide, so it should not even speak on something related to violence. The AAP is only cleaning up their 75-year mess. We are working solely for Punjab’s peace and prosperity, which is something they cannot digest. Give one instance where the AAP’s actions led to any violence in Punjab,” Kaur told The Indian Express.
