"Punjab has defeated the Modi government again". This was the sentiment at Panjab University after the administration announced the schedule for the university senate elections, agreeing to the demands of the protesters.
In less than a month, the Modi government has taken two U-turns in Chandigarh.
First, it went back on its decision to dissolve the Panjab University Senate.
Second, it withdrew its own proposal to bring a constitutional amendment enabling the Centre to govern the Union Territory of Chandigarh directly. The move would have brought Chandigarh under a Lieutenant Governor and done away with the arrangement of the Punjab Governor being the ex-officio administrator of Chandigarh.
Both these measures sparked outrage in Punjab as it opened old wounds.
For instance, the Governor arrangement that has been in place since 1984, is seen in Punjab as a symbolic acknowledgement of the state's rightful claim over Chandigarh. PU is seen as replacement of Panjab University that the state lost during Partition.
Now with the L-G move withdrawn and schedule the PU Senate elections announced, it's a major win for Punjab's civil society.
However, the question is - what really is the BJP's strategy in Punjab? What was it trying to achieve through these moves in Chandigarh? And what explains the quick U-turns that it took?
We will try and answer these questions in this piece.