It is widely assessed that no single political party in India will be in a position to get a clear majority in the Lok Sabha in the forthcoming general election, In these circumstances, the country, is heading for a coalition government. The latest development in U.P,, India’s largest state which sends a contingent of 85 members, only strengthens the above mentioned pre poll assessment, U.P, has traditionally been a Congress (I) bastion. But this time around, it is likely to witness the massacre of the ruling party.
For the first time, the Samajwadi Janata Party of Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Janata Dal of V.P, Singh have joined hands to form a front against the Congress (I) and the BJP, In other words, a coalition of Yadavs, Rajputs, Muslims and other minorities has been formed there, If all goes well as planned by the two major parties, it can be safely predicted that neither the Congress (I) nor the BJP will be able to get more than a dozen seats from that state, This loss alone will deprive the two contenders to the Delhi throne from reaching it.
This an opportunity for Sikhs to cash in, The Sikhs in states other than Punjab are, therefore, likely to support the third front wherever such a front emerges. Historically, Sikhs have been in confrontation with Delhi. The Sikh Gurus themselves, beginning with Guru Arjun Dev, struggled and sacrificed themselves for more than a century against the Delhi rule, The relief came only when the powerful Mughal rule was weakened.
The present situation is in no way materially different. The Sikhs suffered a great deal during the past 1015 years. Here is an opportunity for them to grab, But, unluckily, there is no viable Sikh leadership to capitalize on the opportunity, Parkash Singh Badal is going his own way. He is not ready to talk either to the Mann group or the B.K.U. and its leader Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, Badal has struck a deal with the BSP chief Kanshi Ram. He is also trying to come to terms with the BJP, in at Ieast one or two seats, in Punjab, Incidentally, there is not much in ‘common with the publicly stated positions of the Badal group and the BSP on the one hand and the Badal group and the BJP on the other hand. ‘While Badal is said to be committed to working for a federal restructuring of the country, both the BSP and the BJP are in favor of strengthening the central government. Badal is not willing to adopt a policy of accommodation towards the Mann group Its leader, Simranjit Singh Mann, too, has shown a singular lack of leadership by not focusing on principles nor an organization suited to the achievement of any principles.
If he occasionally talks of working for a confederation of India states, he accommodates rank opportunists and Longowalites in his party in the same breath. Mann has done nothing to provide any dynamic readership to the Sikh masses in practice all these years. He has also not been able to weld and consolidate such forces as the Damdami Taksal r the Sant Samaj into one political platform. Another important Sikh Leader, Gurcham Singh Tobira, has yet to rise above petty self-centered maneuvering. Unfortunately, the acting Jathedar of Akal Takhat, Prof Manjit Singh, as well as former Takhat Jathedars, Prof Darshan Singh and Jasbir Singh Rode, to0, have not shown a particular sensitivity to brining the Sikh politics to an even keel. In the circumstances, there is complete chaos in the Sikh polity. The Sikh masses arc dispirited and disheartened. The Sikh militant leadership is in disarray and it will take long for it to recover from the recent setbacks.
It is not too late even at this stage for Sikh leaders to sit up and reassess their actions and plans. Let them join hands and show certain accommodation to each other, We see no reason why the Akalis cannot leave the Sancorur seat to the BKU chief Lakhowal. There is no justification for that constituency to be represented by a renegade like Surtit Singh. Barnala. This man was responsible for the notorious Rajiv Longowal accord to be signed and implemented. The result was that his government helped Haryana’s plan to take away Punjab’s water resources through the $.Y.L. canal, With what justification will Badal talk of getting justice for Punjab on the water issue when he sends Barnala to the Lok Sabha? A gain, there is need for the Badal group to adjust to the reasonable claims of the Mann faction. There should be proper consultation with leaders of Sant Samaj too. A united Akali stand alone will help Sikhs get a slice of India’s cake and not through the BSP and the BJP which might at some stage even join hands with the Congress (I) in Delhi’s power games. Badal is concealing his ugly short sightedness behind anti congress rhetoric.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 27, 1996
