A Note circulated at the All India Convention of Nationalities, Minorities, and Dalits, Democratic and secular people on Sept. 5-6, 1987, at Jullundur on behalf of the Punjab Sikh Lawyers’ Council.

Manuism (based on ManuSmriti and adopted and practiced by Brahmins) has all along been thriving on the principles of “divide and rule”. Wherever a direct exercise of power is not possible, this pernicious ancient Indian System has tried to govern through puppets.

A time tested device employed by Manuites I.e. Brahmins ‘has been to out-rightly purchase leaders of minority communities, project these leaders through media hype as “patriots” and swimmers of the “mainstream”. An effort has always been made to make minority communities leaderless by either purchasing their leaders or, if that is not possible, to liquidate these leaders. There is no need to illustrate these points because the Manuites’ tactics are too well known.

However, it is pertinent to cite from the recent Punjab history. First, an effort was made to buy over Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. When he refused to oblige, the Sant was liquidated, ‘these elements succeeded in tarning the other Sant namely Sant Harchand Singh Longowal.

‘The Operation Blue Star and the Rajiv-Longowal accord are sides of the same dirty coin; the coin being the Manuite policies of repression and black-mail on the one hand and of purchasing leaders on the other. That precisely was the design behind the Operation and the Accord. This reality ‘could not be hidden for long. The whole world is now aware of the Manuite strategy behind the Operation Blue star and Rajiv-Longowal Accord.

Certain elements at one stage tried to defend the Operation. They took it as an incident rather than a neo-political approach on the part of Manuites. They were slow to grapple with the reality similarly, many people initially thought much of the Rajiv-Longowal Accord. The Accord was nothing buta unilateral announcement of victory over a minority. A few Sikh misleaders, purchased by Manuites, lapped up the accord,

The Punjab episode-the Operation Blue Star and Rajiv-Longowal Accord — must serve as a ‘warning (0 all minorities and regional parties as well as democratic minded elements belonging to the majority community. They must never alfow themselves to be deceived by the Manuites. They must take a leaf our of the took of the Punjab. They must correctly understand the phenomenon: whether it is a Longowal in Punjab, a Farooq in Kashmir etc.it is a question of fishing out puppets to weaken minority communities from with in. A carefully nurtured public image of these minority leaders should not serve to overlook the reality.

Those who fought and manouvered to win elections in Punjab on the basis of the Rajiv-Longowal accord have been discarded by the publican Punjab. They must not be allowed to stage a come back on one platform or the other. They must first account for their misdeeds. These same very elements consider the public naive; they rely on the proverbial short memory of the public. They are angling for another accord after the fiasco of the first accord. Any such efforts by opportunist, neo-rich and dishonest elements is bound to fail. Because the choices before the Sikhs rae limited, either to be running-dogs of the Manuites and, in the process, lose their identity or to fight against this evil and defeat it before it became a curse for the entire South-East Asia. Thus the Sikh struggle is not merely aimed at self-survival but, in its historical ‘consequence, will prove to be liberator of the entire sub-continent from the pernicious designs of Manuism.

A major misfortune of minorities, Dalits and regional parties springs from the absence of control over means of education and information. The radio, the television and the print-media directly or indirectly are controlled by the Manuites. Consequently, the struggles and aspirations of these sections of our population either don’t find expression or are inadequately covered, the national and international image of these sections are often distorted,

The voices of truth represented by tiny struggling newspapers belonging to minorities, Dalits and regional groups are often throttled. At present a dozen odd such small newspapers are facing the wrath of the Manuites all over the country.

The strategy of the Manuites during the Emergency was to suppress democratic dissent “indiscriminately”. This strategy underwent a change after 1980, the first to be picked up were Dalits and other groups for attacks. Severe, discriminatory laws against these groups have been framed. These laws are now liberally being used against all minority, Dalit and regional newspapers.

‘Most of the democratic minded intelligentsia belonging to the majority community failed to se these sinister games of the Manuites, did not protest in time against these ‘assaults and watched as spectators all these years.

All democrats must understand that the main issue in Punjab is not: terrorism. Terrorism is a by-product of certain other phenomenon, The fact of the matter is that Punjab is being used by the Manuites as a laboratory to test the efficacy of their neo-imperialist, racist and hegemonistic ideas, Before long these ideas are bound to be applied with or without modifications elsewhere — not only with in the country but in the entire

South-East Asia.

We call upon all minorities, Dalits, Regional groups and democratic minded national parties to wake up to these harsh realities and unitedly meet the challenge from the Manuite revivalists, a typical Indian ancient form of fascism.

 

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 25, 1987