After ordering paramilitary troops into the Golden Temple to throw out Kar Sewa volunteers, Barnala had lost his mandate to continue in office. His anti Panthic action only served to provide justification for Indira Gandhi’s Operation Bluestar which, till then, ‘was universally condemned. The damage done by him cannot be washed by politically motivated recantations or shoe shining exercises.
With the murder of 15 Sikh youths, he has forfeited his claim even to be considered a Sikh, No Sikh in his right mind will absolve him of his direct hand in the diabolic act of the Border Security Force. Earlier at Anandpur Sahib, Barnala was directly responsible for getting protesting Sikhs gunned down in his very presence. More Sikhs have fallen to the police and paramilitary bullets in one year of Barnala’s Chief Minister ship than were executed by the British in nearly hundred years of their rule in Punjab.
Nothing has been done to achieve the objectives outlined by the Dharam Yudh Morcha. The only project that has made any head way after he assumed office concerns the construction of Sutlej Jamuna Link Canal. It was against the construction of this canal that Akali Dal had originally launched its Morcha in 1982. This canal is being constructed to illegally take Punjab waters to Haryana and its construction involves thousands of very fertile acres of Punjab land.
On the economic front, the plundering of Punjab resources continues unabated. Both agriculture and small-scale industries are in shambles. Debts are mounting and corruptions rampant. There is not a single positive achievement to his credit. His own party legislators have deserted him. Yet he is clinging to his chair only to oblige his masters in Delhi. He has become. liability to the Sikhs, He must quit and let the Sikhs face his masters and let the world know what Delhi is doing to Sikhs.
Article extracted from this publication >>September 5, 1986
