The political landscape of Punjab is witnessing a fierce war of words, centered on an unusual metaphor: dinosaurs. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's persistent description of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as a politically extinct force, akin to dinosaurs, has triggered sharp reactions and become a focal point of debate following the recent rural body elections.
The Genesis of the 'Dinosaur' Taunt
This peculiar analogy is not new. Bhagwant Mann first used the term during the campaign for the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, aiming to depict the Akali Dal as a relic of the past. The jibe was brutally reinforced by the election results, where the once-dominant SAD managed to win only three seats in the entire state.
The Chief Minister revived the taunt ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls at a Bathinda rally. He asserted that just as dinosaurs vanished from the earth, the political era of the Badal family and their brand of politics would be completely wiped from Punjab. Mann accused the Akalis of misrule, claiming the people had already rejected them, sealing their fate similar to the prehistoric creatures.
Akalis Claim Resurrection After Poll Gains
However, the recent results of the rural local body elections have provided the Akali Dal with ammunition to counter this narrative. The party has seized upon the dinosaur metaphor to signal its purported political resurrection. A wave of memes and creative content flooded social media, featuring SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal with a life-sized dinosaur model. A popular song also circulated, suggesting that dinosaurs were coming back to life in Punjab's political arena.
SAD spokesperson Parambans Singh Bunty Romana hit back at CM Mann's continued jibes. "The CM should know that we are making chairpersons in three zila parishads," Romana stated. He laughed off the criticism, referring to a video that portrayed the rural election results as dinosaur eggs for the Akalis, which would hatch and multiply by the 2027 Assembly polls.
By the Numbers: Analyzing the Electoral Shift
The data from the rural polls reveals a significant shift from the 2018 elections. In the previous cycle, the SAD had won control of 63 block samitis and 18 zila parishads. This time, their tally jumped to 445 block samitis and 62 zila parishads. Akali leaders argue that their performance could have been even stronger, alleging that their candidates were prevented from filing nomination papers in at least 1,000 places, limiting their contest to 1,814 out of 2,838 block samitis.
An AAP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the shift, noting that the SAD is now the party to watch. "They have come second in so many bodies while Congress is on number three. It shows they have regained and need to be watched," the leader conceded.
A Persistent Political Feud
Undeterred by the Akalis' counter-narrative, Bhagwant Mann has continued his verbal offensive. In a recent press conference, he mocked the SAD's renewed confidence. "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," Mann asserted.
He further downplayed their revival claims during a joint presser with AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, pointing out that the SAD finished third in many contests and failed to win all seats in a single Assembly constituency. For the Akalis, however, the improved performance in the rural polls, especially when compared to their disastrous 2022 Assembly showing, is being projected as the first concrete sign of a long-awaited political recovery. The battle over this prehistoric metaphor has become a proxy war for the larger struggle for relevance in Punjab's evolving political ecosystem.
