THE POLITICS OF EXPEDIENCE
During his one day visit to Punjab, Rajiv Gandhi made two perfidious announcements. He declared that he would shortly hold consultations with the opposition parties to work out a solution of the escalating Punjab problem. In the second announcement he talked about holding panchayat elections in the state. Elaborating on the scope of the consultations, he ruled out involving the Sikh freedom fighters in the process. How sincere he is in seeking a solution can easily be judged from his attitude. He is not so naive as not to know that Hamlet cannot be staged without the Prince of Denmark. He knows he cannot hope for a solution by excluding the freedom fighters. His anxiety to involve the opposition is motivated purely by selfish reasons. He simply wants to make them stand in line with him so that they also take equal share of the blame. The ball has too long been in his court and he is keen to prevent the opposition from exploiting it in the forthcoming elections.
Most of the opposition leaders have on more than one occasion made their stand clear. They have been demanding release of the detained Sikhs and punishment to those guilty of November 1984 massacre of the Sikhs. They have also expressed their views on economic, territorial and religious demands of the Sikhs. But Rajiv has never paid any heed to what the opposition says. He thought of consulting the opposition when he found himself too deep in the soup. He needs to consult the opposition only if he has tentatively worked out some rational formula. He can have their input before taking it to the Sikhs. But if he plans to unilaterally impose a solution, either directly or through some hand. Picked puppets, then, he should better remind himself of the fate that his accord with Longowal met.
The Punjab problem is not what it was before the operation Bluestar. The land of five rivers is far redder with the blood of Sikh martyrs than it ever was since the emergence of the Nehru dynasty. Playing hides and seek and using it for electoral gains will make it further intractable. No permutation and combination of pliable Akal Takht chiefs will prove helpful. Delhi has to realize that the situation has reached a point where it’s policy of divide and rules beginning to prove counterproductive. It might appear a paradox but it is abundantly clear now that for a lasting solution Delhi must reconcile to the idea of Sikhs getting together on one platform rather than breeding dissensions among them, Only a representative leadership that stands for the collective aspirations of the Sikh nation can with confidence hold a decisive dialogue.
The talk of panchayat elections in the present context can evoke nothing but distrust. It is a cheap political move aimed at dividing the opposition parties and assessing Congress (I)’s standing among the people of the state. The Congress (I) leaders of the state are desperate to form their government and in their quest for political power, they have lost sight of the reality. They think that it would be easier to capture the panchayats during the Governor’s rule by using the administration to their advantage and, then, use the block Samities and Zila Parishads to win the Assembly elections. They seem to have forgotten the fate of Darbara Singh Ministry. It would be futile to hold the elections without first addressing the issue of Sikh aspirations; Elections should follow and not precede the all important issues if Punjab is to live in peace and harmony.
The panchayat elections in Punjab have become due only on the 1st of October this year whereas elections to the S.G.P.C have been due for more than five years, But the government is not willing to hold elections to the S.G.P.C. It knows that militants are certain to win an overwhelming majority in the committee. The prospect of militants dominated S.G.P.C is something that the government cannot digest because it would falsify its claim that militants have no popular base. The government has instead opted for the panchayat elections, Under the Panchayat Act, political parties are barred from contesting elections, Congress (I) can use it as a good face saving device if the candidates supported by it lose. The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Devi Lal has rightly stated that the situation in trouble torn Punjab is not conducive for holding Panchayat elections. The opposition parties must mobilize public opinion against this mischievous move and Sikhs must not fall in this trap.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 7, 1988
