Dear Sardar Surjit Singh Guru Fateh:
Although I address the entire Akali polity through this letter, I write it to you by name because you lead them in the legislature and because you were a party to the so-called ‘accord’ that came into being in July 1985. It was one more betrayal of the Sikh nation and I tried to make you aware of that. Looking back, it appears that you were in such a hurry to get to the provincial chairs that you lost sight of the National cause. In doing so you deliberately put yourself in an impossible situation. You could not have delivered to Delhi what was expected of you while at the same time fulfilling your promises to the people of Punjab. There is an inherent contradiction between the two. But functioning under a democracy, as it is claimed in India that is Bharat, the primacy must be accorded to the people. Your mettle has been tested and, forgives me for telling the unsavory truth, it has been found lacking, Very much in the tradition of those Sikhs who for short term gain or for personal advantage sold the Nation down the drain, you have turned against the people of Punjab to appease your so-called masters in New Delhi. You have allowed, without as much as a squeak let alone protest, Haryana to develop militant muscles and threaten the very basis of peace in Punjab. One conclusion could be that you and your colleagues in the State Government are colluding with the administration of Rajiv Gandhi to gain cheap publicity in order to cover up you incapacity to solve problems. If that be the case, then I feel duty bound to warn you and through you warn the Prime Minister of India against the revolt of the Youth in Punjab. You have begun to use against them measures more repressive than the late Mrs. Gandhi could think of or Bhajan Lal could devise. In silencing the voice of the Youth, you are erasing the future of the Nation. You have already sealed the lips of Mr. Justice Bains with a clever administrative ruse. You have gone back on your promises. You have let your people down. More by your actions than by your utterances you have proved that your Government is a stooge of New Delhi and that it does not have the interests of the Sikh nation in mind let alone at heart. The Khalsa Karkar is sad to note the situation and grieves at the mistakes you are committing and the lack of conviction you are exhibiting. Under the circumstances, if the Youth of the Nation were to disown you and your administration, if they were to condemn your vacillating and if they were to withdraw their support from you, the Khalsa Sarkar and I will have no option but to strengthen their hands by giving them full supporting the peaceful struggle for Nationhood.
But there is still time. The assembly of 26th January is two weeks away. Errors of the past can be rectified. Take a fundamental step towards democracy. Give the people their primacy. Stress upon the Central Government in New Delhi that your administration is beholden only to the will of the people and not to the whims of the politicians. Apply yourself to fulfilling the promises you had made in full control of your senses while campaigning in the elections in Punjab. And beyond that, recognize the aspirations of the peoples of South Asia from Assam to Tamil Nadu and from Telegu Desam to Jammu & Kashmir. Give them a lead, Play the decisive role. May God Bless You.
Yours Sincerely,
Jagjit Singh Chohan
Article extracted from this publication >> January 24, 1986
