After killing thousands of Sikh youths in fake encounters to silence the freedom movement temporarily in Punjab, India is bent upon destroying all traces of protest even by traditional democratic elements such as the B.K.U. and Akali groups. In pursuing its long term goals of looting Punjab economically and enslaving it politically, Indian colonialist have shown their renewed determination to take away the states lifeline, water, through the proposed S.Y.L, canal. Contrary to the well-established Indian and international laws and haughtily ignoring pleas for a judicial adjudication, India wants the canal to be constructed even with the force of arms to transfer more of Punjab water,
In addition to about 60% of water already going to Rajasthan and Haryana more water is being transferred to Haryana, and Punjab will have lost 76% of its entire water wealth to the Hindu states of Haryana and Rajasthan. Already, Punjab’s farmers have to draw out subsoil water through a million tube wells to irrigate fields. This involves not only heavy cost on electricity and diesel but also the deepening water table is making the existing tube wells un functional and uneconomical.
Regrettably, the Akali politicians have played no mean role to facilitate the loot. The latest root cause is the Rajiv Longowal accord which, inter alia, provided for the construction of the S.Y.L. canal, even before a judicial adjudication of the dispute was artificially kicked off by Hindu politicians of Haryana who are pampered by Delhi. The provision in the fraudulent accord was introduced so that the judiciary would be presented with the fait accompli, notwithstanding the fact that Haryana has no right in law to claim any water of Punjab Rivers.
One has also to observe that there is something basically rotten about the Sikh intelligentsia which backed to the hilt the Rajiv Longowal record for years. Even now, sporadic voices are being heard that the Center did not implement even the “written accords!” The Indian government is just obliging by implementing the accord now. Any objections, Mssrs. Sikh intelligentsia? Strangely, the ardent negotiators of the accord, like Amarinder Singh are now singing different tunes.
The damage done to Punjab by the Rajiv Longowal accord can not be undone except by formally and publicly condemning the signatories as traitors to Punjab and Sikhs. Those who supported the accord at any stage even as loyal soldiers of the Akali Dal such as Parkash Singh Badal and Gurcharan Singh Tohra should be summoned to Akal Takhat and punished, if they themselves do not apologize to the Sikh nation for their selfish actions on the water issue, Also, certain pro militant elements need to be told to retire from public life for their connivance with Indian colonialists when they maintained that the “real issues” in Punjab had left behind such minor subjects as water. These elements naively placed Punjab’s economic rights against Sikhs political rights and goals, when, in reality, the two are not at all contradictory.
Unfortunately, even the B.K.U. leaders had not opposed the S.Y.L. canal construction in 1986 and had actually supported the move, provided farmers were paid a higher compensation for the land acquired. It is an irony that Akalis themselves agreed to construct the canal even while they had initially opposed the Central proposal and had even threatened to launch a mass movement against it. Despite these grave political handicaps, the Sikh masses have a strong common sense which has the knack of asserting itself before it is too late. That is what is happening on the SY.L. issue in Punjab today. A strong movement is building up against the Indian exploitation of Punjab in respect of its water wealth. This movement is peaceful and democratic in nature and has great potential of achieving results.
The Indian state being essentially fascist is going all out to crush the peaceful Sikh struggle on the S.Y.L. issue. More than 1000 Sikhs belonging to the B.K_U. have been arrested merely (o prevent them from holding a peaceful protest march in Chandigarh on July 9. Indian authorities even had a plan to arrest a Congress (1) MP., Jagneet Singh Brar for opposing the S.Y.L. project.
These issues need to be brought home to the western governments and their people so that the real face of the so called Indian democracy and the ruthless way in which it is bent upon looting Punjab and depriving Sikhs of their human rights Vis-à-vis their water wealth can be addressed.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 9, 1993
