A few Indian newspapers have published the draft election manifesto of the Akali Dal (Badal), Officially, the document ‘will be made public after a formal announcement about the ensuing election has been made. A few remarks at this stage could still be made. A noteworthy, aspect of the Dal’s “committee is that it is headed by former Akali chief minister Surjit Singh Barnala. It includes as members former home minister in Barnala’s ministry, Capt. Kanwaljit Singh and the former agriculture minister Capt. Amarinder Singh. It appears by making Bamala chief of the manifesto committee, Akali Dal (B) President has sent out a message to the Indian state _that it need not have any apprehensions about the political “goal of the Akali Dal. After all, Barnala was the follower of ‘Sant Harchand Singh Longowal who struck a quiet deal with Rajiv Gandhi.

Because of the accord with the Indian state that helped wash off all its crimes of 1984 and 1985 against Sikhs. Longowal was hailed as a national hero by India. Thousands of Sikh youths were killed during Barnala’s rule at the hands of the Indian state. The anti-Punjab S. Y.L. canal was dug up during that period. It was also the worst period for corrupt practices by Barnala and his ministers. It was during Barnala’s rule that the Indian state appointed J.F. Ribeiro as police chief of Punjab. Thus Barnala and his so called Panthic government set out all the favorable signals to the Indian state about how far the Sikh collaborators could go to appease it and to ‘surrender Punjab’s and Sikhs’ rights.

Ironically, Barnala’s manifesto committee would like to convince the world that it is sincere about seeking more powers to Punjab (and other states) from the central Indian government. Did not the Barnala government surrender even the existing rights of Punjab to the central government when St Not only digested the appointment of J.F. Rebeiro as police ‘chief but also welcomed that appointment as its own? Under the existing Indian Constitution, law and order is a state subject and the States are fully empowered to appoint their ‘own police officers. But, no, the Bamala government chose to leave that power to be exercised by the Indian central government. Even worse was the Barnala government’s attitude on the water issue. River water and waterpower’s state subject but the Barnala government in terms of the Rajiv Longowal accord agreed’ to surrender Punjab’s rights to Haryana by carrying out the construction of S.Y.L. canal in Punjab’s territory. In numerous other fields also, Barnala’s so called Panthic government had done things that mocked at Akali Dal’s Anandpur Sahib Resolution. The fact of the matter is that neither Barnala nor Badal is sincere about Punjab and Sikhs. They want power not for Punjab or Sikhs but for their self-aggrandizement. The manifesto committee is a mere show piece to record the requisite noises of Anandpur Sahib resolution the achievement of which is not much of a concern to the Akali leadership. The Badal leadership is not willing to go as far as certain other non-Congress governments in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal did at one stage or the other. For instance, these Slates resisted posting of LA.S. And LP.S. (Central cadre) Officers in Punjab beyond a certain minimum level. Not so With Badal, Even now the Barnala committee is not bothered about what Akalis plan todo with the powers presented vested in Punjab, What emerges from the foregoing is that Akalis are totally insincere about Punjab or Sikhs or even about their much trumpeted Anand pur Sahib Resolution. The whole world recognizes the loss of human rights in Punjab as an important issue; Even the Indian courts have detected numerous cases where the police have violated the rights of the people. But these issues are not on the agenda of Akali leaders. They do not feel the need for punishing the guilty officers and company sating the Victims. There has been concern all over the world about continued detention of thousands of Sikhs in India. This issue also does not cause any headache to Akalis whose Manifesto committee is not unduly worried about it.

Article extracted from this publication >>  February 7, 1996