Punjab News Express/Satinder Bains
CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD), the ruling partner of BJP in Punjab for ten years and now in the center after losing its base among the majority Sikh population in state has now shited its focus from real issues to old tacticts of raising Panthic issues when out of power. This time SAD has picked up issue of Khalistan to revive its panthic credentials.
Kirpal Singh Badungar President of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee(SGPC) has out of blue raised the issue to Khalistan (seprate state for Sikhs). Badungar who is considered mouth piece of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, protege of Badal family to be precise, has said that demanding Khalistan was not harmful and Supreme Court of India has defined it in a judgement that demanding Khalistan was not a crime. Though Sukhbir Badal has not commented on the issue yet, party spokesman and Secretary General, member of Rajya Sabha Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa has justified the issue raised by Dhindsa.
The statement by SGPC president and stand taken by SAD leaders has infuriated the BJP leaders who enjoyed power for ten years and even ingnored the corruption by Badal family. BJP now demands to book Badungar under sedition charges and threatned to part ways fron SAD if party president would not clarify the party's stand. BJP generap secretary Harjit Singh Grewal said that for them nation comes first and power later. He said that if need be they would not hesitate to break alliance with SAD.
The Punjab Congress has also condemned the statement of SGPC president and warned against disturbing peace of the state. A spokesman of Congress during a TV debate said that radical elements living abroad were provoking and misguiding the Sikh youth for violence in the anme of Khalistan. He said that arrest of youth involved in killing os Hindu leaders was an evidence that sepratist leaders sitting abroad are trying to distabilie India. He said that Capt Amarinder Singh Government has edposed the ISI sponsored module involved in killings.
It is worth mentioning that Khalistan demand was first raised by Jagjit Singh Chauhan a former Finance Minister in the collition government headed by SAD in 1967. He went to USA in 1971 and decalred formation of Republic of Khalistan and formed council of ministers. He even issued passports and currency of Khalistan. Interestingly in 2001, the BJP government led by Atal Behari Vajpayee pardoned Chauhan and allowed him to come back to India. He formed Khalsa Raj Party and continued struggle for Khalistan under the very nose of BJP government.
Similarly when in early 80's Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawala emerged Sikh leader and Congress government at center conducted operation blue star in Golden temple in 1984 to flush out radicals, the movement for separate state for Sikhs took violent turn. The Panthic Committee formed by militants from across the border was headed by Dr.Sohan Singh former director health services Punjab and father of IAS officer S.S.Boparai. Dr.Sohan Singh instigated Sikh youth to fight for hobnour of community and thousands of Sikh youth were killed for a cause that was a ploy of central agencies. When Khalistan movement died down, the same Dr.Sohan Singh was allowed to surrender and live happily with family in Mohali till his death. At that time Congress government led by Beant Singh was in power.
The SAD, BJP and Congress have been using Khalistan as a tool to polarise either Sikhs or Hindus. Now when Lok Sabha elections are due in 2019, these parties have started showing their true colours. SAD and BJP formed an alliance on the issue of maintaining Hindu-Sikh unity and peace in Punjab. Unfortunately they both are working for cross purposes. SAD supremo Parkash Singh Badal had burnt the India constitution and was an signatory of Amritsar declaration for separate state for Sikhs alongwith Capt Amarinder Singh. These parties are using the religion or panthic issues to suit their political needs and considering that they are true to cause of Sikhs is a false notion.
It is time that people of Punjab force these parties to shun separatist agenda and unviel their agenda of developmment. People in Punjab need to live in peace and if these parties played with fire, history will never forgive them.
Meanwhile, Prof.M.P.Singh a spokesman of Akali Dal(Amritsar) welcomed the statement of Badungar and said that demanding Khalistan was fundamental right of Sikhs. He said that Supreme Court of India has ruled that raising slogans for Khalsitan was not wrong. He said that Sikhs would continue fight for self rule.