The most worrisome pattern in the 12-odd years of the Sikh freedom struggle is that many of our leaders who have fought valiantly suddenly make an about turn and start believing in the promises of the oppressive tyrants in Delhi. Sikhs fought for India’s freedom like no other community but their leaders naively believing the promises of Patel and Nehru sold the Sikhs in to slavery. Har chand Singh Longowal was among the first to have been fooled in the current freedom struggle and he has been followed by many.
The elections in Punjab had barely been announced this year when there was a mad scramble to take part in them. The focus of the struggle went haywire with devastating results. Delhi should never have the satisfaction of seeing such weakness again.
Simranjit Singh Mann was a respected mass movement leader. Having been used by Delhi he has quickly been cast aside and made a laughing stock in the community and those that replaced him like Manjit Singh cannot hope for a better fate.
It is also ironic that the Sikhs have been tricked into many divisions over the past decade while their tormentors who outnumber them 50 to one are united as one man against them no matter which political hue or denomination they belong to. If the need arises in September to further postpone the Punjab elections or to amend the constitution to not hold them at all there will certainly be a unanimous vote for it. In the meantime Delhi will continue to use every trick in the book to ensure that no single Sikh leader emerges to give direction to the movement. Delhi will not be able to withstand the likes of Sant Jarnail Singh again. But it will buy and impose pliable Sikhs as leaders who can keep the confusion going in Punjab.
The new Congress-I leadership will no doubt have seen that Chandrashekhar has singlehandedly done more than both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv to throw the Sikh movement in a disarray. It is almost certain that elections will be held in Punjab in September. The same mad scramble will produce the same devastating results as this time. And Delhi will be hoping for just that. Shekhar has shown by applying that old axiom it is easier to “divide and rule”. It is very reasonable to assume that elections will be held. It does not matter that Governor Malhotra’s resignation is being accepted.
For the Sikhs these three months can be crucial if they seriously take stock of the situation and thwart Delhi’s game plan either by boycotting the election or by fighting them under the guidance of the underground freedom fighters.
There can be no better time than now to remedy the great lack of an organized over ground movement which has direction and purpose with solid leadership unlike the Badals and Tohras whose sole aim has been a lust for personal power no matter what the cost to the Sikh nation. The sooner we discipline and organize ourselves the sooner will we be free at a far lesser price. We need to come together on one plank as never before and there cannot be a better opportunity to do so than now.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 5, 1991
