Major traditional Akali and neo Akali groups such as those headed by Simarnjit Singh Mann Parkash Singh Badal Baba Joginder Singh Bhai Manjit Singh and Kariar Singh Narang have reportedly decided to boycott the proposed elections to the 117member Punjab Assembly as well as to elect 13 members to the Indian Lok Sabha Prime Minister Narasimha Rao announced his government firm intention to hold the elections around middle of February although the tentative schedule can be changed in view of the insistence on the part of the BJP and the Punjab police. Both B.J.P. and the police want elections to be postponed for a few weeks so that an atmosphere conducive to holding a “peaceful polls is created in other words these groups have in mind the killings of few hundred more militant activists by the security forces to lessen the pressure on fence siting Akalis to join the old game of assuming illusory power for self-promotion.

The Akali groups” decision deserves to be appreciated the decision could not be called wholly voluntary. Not all groups were in favour of Keeping out of the election arena prior to the unanimous final resolution passed at a meeting held at Chandigarh at the instance of Mann. The later himself according o available information put up strong resistance of the boycott proposal. The militant groups had to employ all their persuasive powers to bring round Mann who finally agreed There could be honest differences of opinion on whether the boycott would take movement for Khalistan to a higher plane section of armed militants was in favour of contesting and winning the elections and in the process internationalizing the Sikh cause But these arguments   thing of the past. Now that almost all militant groups as well as all major Akali groups have thrown their weight behind the boycott proposal should be honestly and vigorously pursued For New Delhi is still in no mood to listen to the Sikh public opinion .It is bent upon foisting on Punjab such dishonest self-serving elements as Amarinder Singh Surjit Singh Barnala Captain Kanwaljit Singh and the like.

Sikhs in Punjab have no option other than boycotting the election The state has been swarned by almost half a million strong Indian armed  forces. They want the public to vote t gunpoint according to a Delhi determined preplan. There was a proposal in circulation prior to the idea of the boycott that Sikh activists who favour the creation of Khalistan should be barred from contesting the pol although the boycott made the idea redundant its origin in the government of India should serve expose the democratic pretensions of the Indian rulers. tis by now well known that the Barnala ministry in 1985 was installed in terms of an expressly settled plan Devised jointly by late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and late Harchand| Singh Longowal notwithstanding demonstrable “contests between Congress(I) men and Akalis. It must be a unique state where the all-powerful ruling establishment deliberately allows its “opponents “to form government. That in reality uncovers sham nature of power The things have changed drastically during the past seven years Punjab’s exchequer has been looted by the Indian ruling class to ender the state financially bankrupt. Punjabis shown on paper under a very heavy debt which is equal to the size of its one five year plan. No self-respecting government owing allegiance even to the hopeless Indian Constitution can survive in office even for a few weeks without agreeing to be Delhi is rubberstamp. Any such regime will be isolated from the Sikhs in no time In such a scenario even an elected government will collapse in 9 few months. Happily this aspect of the problem has now been comprehended by a section of Badal Akali Dal more than others.

But the Sikhs cannot afford to treat boycott of the elections as an end in itself. It is at best a reaction to the initiative that essentially rests with Delhi No political grouping can exist for long by being on the defensive and without a positive political agenda. The militant activist must therefore look beyond the boycott India plans to rule Punjab with the help of its armed forces even after a “popularly elected” government has been installed. How to broaden the Sikh] movement and to make it effective is the challenge before the Sikh] leadership. WSN pleads for the involvement of Sikh masse in the struggle All Sikhs cannot afford 10 take up arms. Let the Sikh peasantry be directed to heavily curl production of wheat and rice to administer a body blow economically to the otherwise tottering Indian state. The Sikh militant activist must also ensure that river water supply to the neighboring Hindu state is totally stopped These two steps will require about two to three years to be implemented But the results are bound to be incredible. A boycott even if enforced fairly successfully will not take the Sikh movement far unless a future line of action along the above mentioned lines is chalked out and effectively and patiently implemented.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 17, 1992