The British Hindus Muslims and Sikhs were the four signatories to the freedom of India. The Sikhs who opted for the Indian Union are today demanding the right of self-determination. The reasons for the Sikh unrest and disenchantment can be traced to events in the sub-continent during this century.
‘The minorities had expressed their justified concerns about the sincerity and intent of the Congress which largely represented the Hindus. This reservation was shared by Viceroy Lord Wavell who so corded that “there is no stat ex-man ship or generosity in the Congress…That in the present situation their aim is power after which they can decal ‘with Muslims by bribery blackmail propaganda and if necessary by force.” (“Transfer of Power” vol. IX) V.P. Menon aid “thanks to the Congress policy…the minorities Jeans that the majority party in use legislature could set at maughs the wishes of the minorities (’Transfer of power” vol. IX).
In the event the Muslims formed Pakistan Jinnah stating “that if the Congress could change so many times ‘while the British were still in the country and power had not come into (its) hands what assurance would be minorities heave once the British left”.
‘The Sikhs only agreed to join India after securing the most solemn guarantees from the Congress end ratified by the British Government. The Indian independence Act 1947 states; “Power is being transferred to the Indian hand on the clear understanding that the future Constitution of India shall provide for special rights and privileges to the Sikhs”
The Congress went further. The Congress (AICC) 1929 Lahore Resolution assures that the Sikhs that on achieving Independence no Constitution would be framed unless it was acceptable to the Sikhs. In the year of independence on January 61947 the Congress (AICC) that “it must be clearly understood that the rights of Sikhs s mast not be jeopardized”. The various promises made to the Sikhs can be summed up in Pandit Nehra’s words: “The brave Sikhs of Punjab are entitled to special consideration. I see nothing wrong in an area and # set up in the North where in the Sikhs can also experience’s the glow of freedom”.
‘What glow of freedom have the Sikhs felts after 1947? The record of the Indian State in its dealings with the Sikhs and Punjab is one of broken promises blatant discrimination and brutal state repression in gross violation of the Constitution and India’s international treaties.
It was cleanly understood before Independence that India would be a Federal state on the pattern of the British Cabinet Mission plan. Indeed the Sikhs had joined the Constituent Assembly under the Cabinet plan only after an appeal by the Congress Working Committee. Moreover the Sikhs were clearly led to expect that free India would give to its citizens the respect for human rights and equal application of law ax existed in Britain. The Sikhs had made the biggest sacrifices in the freedom struggle Seventy percent of freedmen fighter hanged and sentenced to life imprisonment were Sikhs. The community had earned the right to secure such constitutional safeguards to prevent the masses of India’s becoming slaves again.
However the Constipation framed for free India became s thinly Gis guised unitary Gocamesn conferring all powers to a Central authority. Inbred were all the evils we witness today in crumbling centralized political and economic systems in the world. The authors of the Indian Constitution by diluting the basic checks and balances of a democratic federal static doomed India to a future of poverty corruption nepotism injustice in quality communalism and destruction of natural resources. The system was bound to end in anarchy or fascines of both the signs of which are all too visible today.
‘The pledge to seek approval of the Sikhs in framing the Consignation was forgotten In tum the Sikhs could not be party to a document which condemned India and themselves to a life of slavery and despair. Therefore they refused to ratify the Constitution. They stand vindicated by the site of the Country and events in Punjab today.
First the Center opposed the formation of a Punjabi-speaking mate even after ‘languishes mates had been formed in the rest of the country. A Punjabi Subs was eventually conceded after agitation in Punjab had gained force leading to great bitterness. The new state was formed on the basis of the 1961 census accepted as false by Prime Minister Nehru since many Punjabi Hindus had been incited to record Hindi ax their mother tongue. Consequently the state capital Chandigarh and areas which from time were an integral part of Punjab were transferred to other mutes. Therefore Punjab was reorganized and partitioned on common lines and not on the linguistic basis making it the second religious partition in 20 years. After Lahore the state capital was shifted to Shimla and later Chandigarh. Shimla and Chandigarh are not in Punjab today.
Similarly the Punjab river waters were transferred to other states in violation of fact Constitutional law and precedence adopted by India and international conventions on sharing river waters. Nor was Punjab given any for the loss of water and electricity Moreover Punjab has to bear the loss and cost of water-logging in its territory caused by the canal systems carrying water to other mates
Punjab has the smallest per capital share of Central Industrial projects Out of (ne massive central investment in India Punjab has been given three industrial establishments namely Nangal Fentilzer Seni Conductors (burr down) and a railway coach factory. A large proportion of the money deposited in banks in Punjab is transferred for investment in state and industrialization of other states. There is clear and continuing discrimination against the Sikhs in recruitments by the government in violation of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution and its Preamble including traditional institutions like the armed forces. Industrial Licenses for establishment of Large and medium industrial and commercial enterprises in the state and forcing trade depends on Central clearance where Punjab is discriminated against.
No foreign investment in Punjab is possible without the permission of the Union Government As the procedures are cumbersorse and inefficient such investors who express any interest in investments in Punjab get discouraged. This is detrimental to the interests of Punjab which has many expatriates in the USA. Bataan and Canada as India’s relations with Pakistan are not humorous Punjab’s wade and commerce towards natural outlets in West Punjabis blocked. Failure to punish the guilty in the 1984 massacre and continuous anti-Sikh propaganda by government agencies places Sikh investments in danger outside Punjab. This situation has led to a large-scale forced unemployment and consequent restlessness amongst the youth.
‘The rationale behind Punjab getting a smaller there of Central investment is that it is a border state and also hare percepts income higher than the rest of India, Punjab was destroyed by portion in 1947. Its people made who, else and economy shattered. Thus the state had to start from the scratch to rebuild its economy. Today, its per capita income would have been equal to that of South Korea if India had net adopted an economic model which stifles investment work and emprise while rewarding inefficiency Middlemen, corruption, laziness and ineptitude.
Punjab forces a grave danger from the strained Indo-Pak relations which pose an ever present risk of a war. As boas countries possess nuclear weapons which are likely to be used in an ever increasing, there is en ever danger of a holocaust whose worst effect a will be felt by the people of Punjab which will inevitably be the battle ground in other words the Sikhs and people of Punjab face extinction from a foreign policy in whose formulation they have no voice.
Infects, India stands constitutionally partitioned between Punjab and India. The 65th and 76th Amendment bills passed by Parliament have reduced Punjab to a colony and the Sikhs to colonial subjects. Different laws apply to Punjab and the rest of the country. The people of Punjab are denied any legal or administrative redress. Thus while in Punjab, people can be short by the police on the vaguest suspicion without any process of law, hove guilty of killing Sikhs on 1984 freely roam the streets of Delhi.
The Government justifies the postponement of elections on the ground of Pakistan interference in Punjab, “Thus, elections in Punjab do not depend on the Constitution and principles of democracy, but on the goodwill of the Government of Pakistan. Therefore, the Sikhs and people of Punjab demanded that if the Government was so helpless, elections should be held under the supervision of the UN. Already 106 nations have difficulty in conducting elections. It is pertinacity to note that Pakistan bed a serious law and order problem in Sindh as noted by political analysts in Delhi was able to conduct national and state elections in the province.
Such is the dismal record of Indo-Sikh relations since independence. Now various Hinds organizations have launched a doctrine of Hindutva which makes India synonymous with Hindulen and Hinds Rashtra. If the present Constitution cannot protect the Sikhs and safeguant the interests of Punjab, what consequences await the minorities when this doctrine which has wide acceptance is enforced, Nor is this is a distant vision as the BJP President, Mr Advani, is the leader of the composition in Parliament.
Today the VHP and the BJP are demanding the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Tomorrow they will demand the destruction of the Golden Temple because it is said that Sri Ram buried the casket of nectar from Sri Lanka on the site of the temple. Already the BJP has been a party to the destruction of Akal Takht Tomorrow they will declare closure of mosques, churches and gurdwaras
Therefore, the Sikhs have no choice but to safeguard their religion, political and other interests, This is only possible if they invoke the right to self-determination permitted by international law recognized by India. In any case, by framing different laws for Punjab, the nation has accepted Punjab as a separate legal entity, Moreover, the Sikhs bad Joined the Union on the basis of the Cabinet Mission Plan which gave the right to provinces to change their Constipations after 10 years, Even if the format of provinces has changed, the principle remains, After being subjected for years to state repression and discrimination, the people of Punjab with to invoke this right on which basis the Sikhs joined the Indian Union, On 26 December 1990, various Sikhs pasties and religious bodies including the SGPC passed a historic resolution at Fatehgarh Sahib demanding the right to self-determination.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 25, 1991
