The most significant feature of Indias Punjab policy during the past 10 years has been the suppression of Sikh youths with the help of security forces. More than half a million Sikhs may have perished by now although India does not admit more than about 20000 deaths As many as 10000 Sikhs almost all along have been in jails or in police stations and numerous torture chambers. The war on the Sikhs was declared by Indira Gandhi and was stepped up by her son Rajiv Gandhi after her death in November 1984. There was some let-up during V.P. Singhs regime but eventually the police and the bureaucracy through the active encouragement rendered by the B.J.P. on the one hand and the Communists on the other had an upper hand over Singhs brief civil rule. The Sikhs suffered very heavily during Chander Shekhar’s prime minister ship when youths were killed by the dozen daily. The irony of the situation was that many Sikhs misled by opportunist Sikh traditional politicians regarded Shekhar as the community’s best bet. Rao continues his predecessor’s ruthless policy in Punjab with his mercenary police chief K.P.S.Gill boasting about “restoring law and order” by September.
Despite this preponderant reality it will be unwise not to Police a certain significant change in Delhi’s attitude towards some of the Punjab issues. The main thrust of the Nehru dynasty was not only on wakening Sikhs politically but also economically. The operation “Blue Star” was a device aimed at eliminating Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who had become a symbol of the emerging Sikh revolutionary power. But the economic aggression on the Sikhs had started much earlier. It was by way of diverting Punjab’s water resources to Hindu states like Haryana and Rajasthan and keeping Punjab tied to the apron strings of India’s economy by keeping it the producer of primary agricultural products. This was done by digging at a break-neck speed what subsequently came to be known as the Indira Gandhi canal for Rajasthan and the Bhakra Main-line canal for Haryana. Both these canals were dug up in the wake of carefully planned Akali Congress merger and compromise. Yet another canal for Haryana the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal was planned in the same conspiratorial way. There was the Rajiv-Longowal accord. Brought into the political picture was the proudest of the Sikh society such as Longowal Barnala Balwant. They became willing tools in the hands of Delhi to execute its historic conspiracy against Punjab and Sikhs. Bhajan Lal claims during the Barnala rule as much as 75% work on the S.Y.L. canal was completed. Had Delhi been successful in returning Amarinder as chief minister the remaining work on the canal would have been completed by now if the tables were turned on India the credit must go to the underground Sikh leadership who correctly led the Sikhs into frustrating Delhi’s game plans?
As a clever Brahman Rao must have calculated by now the cost of the Nehru dynasty’s misadventure against Sikhs at least in the sphere of economic loot which really became the basis of the political revolt by the Sikhs. No wonder Delhi these days is using its manipulative skills somewhat in reverse: in favor of Punjab and against Haryana:
The Indian prime minister first encouraged Punjab to demand a share in the Yamuna River. This was done through the usual secret manoeuvres. Messages reached officers from the prime ministers house in tum they conveyed them to their political bosses in Punjab. The latter
Dutifully owned up the suggestions as their own. Thus it was left to Amarinder first to demand a share in the Yamuna River for Punjab. When this unprincipled maneuver did not click Delhi encouraged Punjab’s irrigation and power minister Harcharan Singh Brar to demand an end to the construction of the S.Y.L. canal until a final decision on the Punjab water issue. Brar ignorantly thought he was being groomed to take over from Beant Singh as Chief Minister. Subsequently Delhi moved through chief secretary A.S. Chatha to encourage Beant to write a detailed note to the Center a scrapping of all the post-1966 developments on Punjab’s water front.
The Nehru dynasty was instrumental in bringing about all the “developments” which included the 1976 notification against Punjab the 1981 inter-state agreement again against Punjab and the 1985 Rajiv Longowal accord which constituted a bigger attack on Punjab and finally the “award” of a so-called tribunal on the river water issue. The latest from Delhi is that Punjab should assert its riparian rights to all its rivers. No wonder Brar issued a public statement asserting such aright. Parkash Singh Badal for the first time stated through a press release that the entire water of Punjab’s rivers belongs to Punjab. This man had it should be remembered accepted money from Haryana for the S.Y.L. canal in 1977. Again Badal “as a disciplined soldier of the party” had vowed to implement the Rajiv-Longowal accord on the eve of the 1985 Punjab Assembly election. Now he says Punjab is short of water and should get the entire water of its rivers. One must thank Delhi for all the political changes noted above. Badal remains Indias best bet after Beant. The former is heavily protected by India’s security forces. Nevertheless his statement on the water issue deserves full marks.
For Delhi’s changing attitudes one must congratulate the underground Sikh Leadership which took a principled stand on the water issue. The panthic committees and the Babbar Khalsa International issued determined statements in the past few months asserting Sikhs rights to the entire river water of Punjab have always lost when they trusted traditional Akalis as their leaders. But are bound to gain a great deal if they keep on giving their support to the underground Sikh leadership.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 31, 1992
