The result of the Jalandhar Lok Sabha scat has gone in favor of the ruling Congress (I) which, however, suffered major electoral reverses elsewhere in India, significant fallout of the reverses is that Prime Minister Rao has been weakened in the context of the inner Congress (I) tussle of power. Human resources development minister Arjun Singh appears to feel vindicated in his anti B.J.P, line as the ruling party stands alienated from the minorities while its pro fundamentalist policy has paid in dividends, That is why Arjun Singh was quick to ask Rao to apologize to the minorities for the December 6 demolition of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. The Hindu fundamentalist lobby controlling all levers of the Indian state is unlikely to permit Rao to apologize to Muslims in the same way as it never agreed to apologize to Sikhs for the operation “Blue Star” as was suggested by some elements. Because an apology means a commitment to reverse the previous policy. However, the prime minister realistically accommodated Arjun by agreeing to issue show cause notices to certain Congress (I) men close to chief minister Beant Singh for disrupting a public rally to be addressed by the minister at Ludhiana last month, In other words Delhi has been quick to puncture the inflated ego of Beant Singh implied in the ruling party’s victory at Jalandhar.
It is evident that India’s election commission deliberately ignored proved complaints of irregularities and corruption indulged in by the ruling party and allowed the process to be continued although under similar circumstances the election for the Kalka Assembly seat in Haryana was cancelled. Nevertheless, the result has sent out many political signals which are hard to overlook. For ne thing, despite Punjab police chief K.P.S.Gill’s wild claim of the Hindu Sikh gap in Punjab having been bridged, the fact remains that Hindus voted en block for the Congress{1) and the Sikhs for cither Badal Dal’s Kuldip Singh Wadala or Mann Dal’s Justice Ajit Singh Bains. It is obvious that the Hindu Sikh chasm remains as wide as ever. The ruling party can not reach the astounding conclusion such as those voters legitimized the February 1992 farcical election which returned Beant Singh’s party to power. The Congress (I)’s Yash had won with a margin of 1.13 lakh votes in 1992, while the ruling party’s candidate in this ¢lection hada margin of just 3000 more votes. There can be no two opinions about the composition of the constituency; it has an Overwhelming majority of Hindus. The constituency all along retimed 4 Hindu supported candidate whether he belongs to the Congress {l) or to any other combination. What is of significance is that most Sikhs voted for the Badal group rather than the Mann Dal which had to its credit convincing victories in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections. To that extent, the result has been surprising. But then both Parkash Singh Badal and Simranjit Singh Mann had evidently made the election not so much a campaign aimed at defeating the ruling party as to reestablish their own political identities. That is precisely why the Dal did not agree to put up. A common candidate. In the context of the massive repression against the Sikh community by the Indian State, it was an ideal opportunity for Sikhs to record their protest and send outa signal worldwide that they do not approve of the Indian states policy of annihilation. Justice Bains’s victory or at least good popular support could have served that limited political Objective, This issue was unfortunately lost in the narrow-minded game of establishing party identities the Akali politicians indulged in. Mann’s slogan of an Independent Sikh state in the election was too extravagant and haphazard to leave any impact on the key issue of the Sikh human rights. This basic issue was deflected in the process.
We still believe that an overwhelming majority of Sikhs in Punjab firmly reject India’s policy of repression, that is why, not many Sikhs voted for the Congress (1). It is also clear that the Sikh polity is still way behind the Hindus. The latter have a clear perception of their interests and political goals. In this election, the Hindus had graded preferences: Congress (I), B_J.P. and Badal Dal, if necessary. Bains? Never the Sikhs, on the other hand, aspired for “unity” of Akalis as if nothing whatever had happened during the past one decade. Issues do not appear to be as important as factions for them. The Sikhs seem to believe that they could voice their protest against the Indian state’s policy of repression by voting any of the Akali Dals, including the Badal Akali Dal. There is little realization that a Badal protected’ by legions of India’s armed forces can not send out a message for Sikh human rights, The political processes, however, wait for none. The Jalandhar outcome is bound to have certain political repercussions. The Badal Dal will be emboldened to claim that it speaks for Sikhs. The Sikh polity as such has been brought back to the 1985 phase of the Rajiv Longowal accord. With Arjun Singh’s reemergence in the ruling party as a power to reckon with it will be no surprise if Badal takes up the lost threat towards a new compromise with Delhi. The B.J.P. and Harkishen Singh Surject might act as his underwriters, it will take the robust Sikhs quite sometime 10 untangle the political complications they have unwillingly created for themselves by projecting the Badal Dal as a force at Jalandhar.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 28, 1993
