Indian Prime Minister Narasimha Rao proudly told the U.S. President during his recent visit to New York that the much delayed election to the Punjab Assembly was being held. The U.K. government felt happy that “democratic process” had been introduced in Punjab. A Canadian parliamentary delegation which recently visited Punjab to appeared quite satisfied with India’s arrangement of election in the troubled state. But the ground realities according reports reaching us are altogether different. There is no justification for western governments to endorse India’s election program which is devoid of democratic content when what is being done in the Sikh-dominated state is a ritual It cannot by any stretch of imagination be called elections. The electoral exercise reminds one of the elections in the Soviet Union where “winning” candidates used to poll as high as “99%” votes. Evidently India is repeating the Soviet Union in Punjab.
The Indian security forces are in complete command of the election machinery. Under cover of providing “security” to candidates only those “approved” by the police were allowed file nomination papers. Others were picked up while entering the election offices and detained till the deadline fixed for filing nomination papers was over. India’s chief election commissioner received more than two dozen such complaints. No wonder the aggregate number of candidates came down sharply even while giving allowance to the Sikh boycott. Those who managed to file their nomination papers despite the iron curtain of the Indian police now face the prospect of an informal detention by security forces because the candidates are at the mercy of their protectors about when and where to go for campaigning. But the police are quit liberal towards and helpful for those whom it would like to see in the Lok Sabha or the State Assembly. The brief from Delhi to the police evidently is to ensure that Congress (I) gets a small majority and forms a coalition with the puppet Akali group headed in effect by Amarinder Singh who should also head the new Punjab government. This time a “wrong” is being corrected namely the puppet Akalis should not be allowed to exceed beyond a certain numerical limit of tolerance. Certainly they should not return in strength as happened in 1985 because as the argument goes even a worm turns.
The pro-poll scenario clearly vindicates the militant’s stand that Sikhs can get nothing under the present constitutional dispensation. Even the election cannot be fair. Sukhjinder Singh’s brief tryst with electioneering should serve as an eye-opener to those who entertain thoughts of a fair-play for Sikhs in India. Akalis would do well to learn a lesson or two from the manner in which the Indian state is preventing them from holding even peaceful rallies in favor of an election boycott. After all it is not the fear factor alone that has persuaded Akalis to keep from the election. Badal says from the house tops justifications of the boycott. But the Akali participation in democratic process all these 45 years and their struggles for decades seeking justice for Sikhs fall on India’s deaf ears. He says India not militants compelled them to go in for the boycott.
Sikhs have to look beyond February 19. In the first instance the community’s religion-political order has to be activated to bring home to the common Sikhs the world over that Amarinder Singh and his Akali group is mere puppets of Delhi and they are unacceptable even if tomorrow they may announce amnesty to Sikh prisoners. If necessary a formal gurmata or a“hukamnama” could be issued from Akal Takhat. The various claimants to Takhat should better forget their differences. Let all of them issue joint one or separate hukamnamas declaring Amarinder and his group of thugs as India’s puppets. Besides all the Sikh groups may adopt a joint stand about the crucial and immediate agenda before the new government namely the question of river water and territorial issues. All the Sikh groups have to hold that the entire water of all three rivers belongs to Punjab and to none else. They would not allow a drop of this water to be taken to the neighboring Hindu states much less permitting new flows to them. On the territorial matters the Sikh stand in our view is that Punjab has rightful claim to all Punjabi-speaking areas particularly Chandigarh and those in Himachal Pradesh. There can be.no bargain on these matters Whether Chandigarh or any other town has to be Punjab’s or Khalistan capital is entirely up to the people of Punjab to decide and for none else A joint stand on these and other issues will help end confusion even as the new regime tries to strike deals with Delhi and to give an impression to the world that it has evolved a “solution” to the Punjab problem.
It is politically important for all Sikh organizations at this stage to reject the anti-Punjab Rajiv-Longowal accord in clear and categorical terms.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 14, 1992
