The call for an uprising to establish a separate Sikh State adds a further dimension to the politics of violence which has dogged the Indian State of Punjab for the last 15 years.
Since independence Muslims of India had been favorite victims of communal violence triggered by Hindu chauvinism. Within India itself Muslim Champlain’s usually received short shrift. Ironically ‘Sikhs who then considered themselves as integrated into the Indian mainstream were dismissive of the mistreatment of the Muslim minority.
Ancient antagonisms felt by the Hindus were fuelled by the perceived Muslim role in the vivisection of Mother India. Sikhs in fact were used as storm troopers by the Hindus to terrorize Muslims during the time of partition. If not for the Muslims for the Sikhs at least the Hindu ethos-intolerant towards neighbors and non-Hindus was smothered and covered by the treacle of secular rhetoric.
For the Sikhs now the uncovering of the Hindu ethos has come at a stiff price. Sadar Kapur Singh one of the earliest proponents of Khalistan had written an article entitled the ‘Stupid Sikhs’ in which he castigated the Sikh incapability to gauge Hindu thinking. He wrote that Muslims were willing to consider the Sikhs as a separate entity but the Hindus refused to acknowledge Sikh identity and considered them as part of Hindus. For the duped Sikhs the chickens have come home to roost. Whether Pakistan likes it or not it will be involved in the Sikh problem. Especially so in the light of the growing reaffirmation of Hindu credentials in India to project a Pak-Sikhs alliance serves well the purposes of Indian leadership particularly when the need will be felt to seek an external bogey-man. Despite their undoubted capacity for sacrifice the Sikh masses have been plagued by inept and unimaginative leadership The urban and educated Sikhs have been injured in looking at their situation through the prism of Hindu interests Uncluttered by the ambiguities of education the JAT peasantry led by Bhindranwala had the horse sense to see through Hindu exploitation of their community. Their ‘martyrdom’ spirit has fuelled Sikh separatism.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 31, 1991
