“Oh! What a tangled web we weave when we first learn to deceive.” That is exactly why the Indian government perceives the Punjab problem to be a tangled one. India has fallen into a trap of its own making. The bed of thorns it made for itself has become painful indeed. Had the Brahmins kept their word to the Sikhs and other minorities there would have been no threat to the “unity and integrity” of India which politicians today are so found of harping about. ‘These thoughts did not even cross their minds when thousands of innocent Sikh women and children were slaughtered in 1984 or when the holy Harmandir Sahib was assaulted with tanks and artillery.

The problem from the Sikh view point is simple with an equally simple with an equally simple solution. The British left India in 1947 without a shot being fired it was a civilized and negotiated settlement. It is a different matter what happened after they left. The Indian government must consider the fact that the Sikh demand for Khalistan is nonnegotiable. It must be made abundantly clear to the Brahmin government that Sant Bhindranwale was not a flash in the pan of Sikh nationalistic fervor. That noble and brave Sikh blazed a glorious trail and thousands upon thousands of Sikhs have gladly embraced martyrdom following him rather than submit to the slavery of a treacherous ruler. What better use of this brief earthly existence than to die for one’s faith. This great sacrifice will not be in vain.

Having tried and failed to revive a puppet Akali government and impose on the Sikhs through the courts, VP Singh is today frantically trying to gather support to amend the constitution yet again to extend central rule in Punjab.

This he says will give him time to hold elections. Rajiv Gandhi has been giving him the run around over the past month. His party’s support is essential to get the requisite two thirds majority to amend the law. Rajiv and the fundamentalist Hindu BJP have their hands full with supporting the ant reservationist’s agitation.

This issue could sound the death knell for both these parties in the event of a midterm poll. The BJP often holds the govt to ransom as its support props it up in Parliament.

‘The upper castes a mere 15% of the people rule India and have cornered most of the wealth. Rajiv, it can be safely assumed, thinks the govt will fall and is busy preparing for a midterm poll. He cannot thus be seen supporting the government which he hopes to unseat and replace.

There is thus a vague possibility of elections in Punjab in November. What these elections will achieve whenever they are held either this year or early next year is that it may give Delhi a brief respite a la Barnala. A Sikh, possibly Badal will be used against his own people. He will fail. President’s rule will be imposed again. Then what? Delhi refuses to see the reality and is bent upon prolonging the agony of millions of people at great expense to its own image.

As said earlier the solution is simple and not as drastic as it may seem. After all, even communism died a natural and painless death across Eastern Europe, even in Russia. India it seems is not ready to give up its insanity. Its genocidal repression of the Sikhs over the past decade failed miserably. The Kashmiris took the lead and rose up against the Brahmins. Others may realize too they are better off on their own. So India is bent upon pursuing its insanity to its ultimate disintegration. Today India is like a living corpse and its politicians are maggots which still feeding on its putrid flesh.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 28, 1990