The Akali Dal (Badal) organized a big show of its strength ‘at Moga this week. The party apparently celebrated the 75th anniversary of its inception. The real aim was to activate the party election machinery. It must have cost the party and its leader, Prakash Singh Badal, heavily. Such shows require no less than a few crores of rupees. But in India’s context, political leaders incur the expenditure merely as an investment. On the one hand, such shows serve to establish leaders among masses, and on another, a message is put across to those holding moneybags to reckon with the former as their future rulers. Thus businessmen contribute electoral funds to the leaders. Yet, Badal had the temerity to claim that he and his party on coming into power would provide a clean administration to the public. The fact, however, is that men like Badal are a part and parcel of the corrupt Indian system.
Recent scandals in India have merely brought out a tip of the huge iceberg of corruption still hidden from the world, a noteworthy feature of the Moga show was. Badal’s statements regarding his party’s commitment to. Federal restructuring of India and peaceful and constitutional ways, to be adopted by his party. ‘These statements are aimed at showing to the Indian state that the party has distanced itself from the militants not only in respect of the means to be adopted but also the objectives to be achieved. The party, in effect, wants to have a share in power in Punjab as well as at the center. But Badal should know that he cannot sweep under carpet the Sikh issues. For instance, the Sikhs’ human rights. A party which speaks for the Sikhs cannot afford not to release thousands of Sikhs in jail for years. It can also not white wash the crimes committed by police officers and their political bosses. S.G.P.C. chief Gurcharn Singh Tohra was right when he said that his party would punish the police officers guilty of violations of Sikhs’ human rights. Tohra’s statement must have shocked Badal. The latter never said a word about the Sikhs’ rights violations all these years. In fact, Badal’s show is widely perceived to be aimed at paying Tohra in the same coin, for, he had organized the so-called World Sikh conference at Amritsar a few months ago only to project himself as a leader of consequence. At Moga, it was Badal’s turn to steal a march over Tohra. Notwithstanding these subtle moves, the fact remains that Tohra has brought to for an important issue afflicting the Sikhs namely the question of protection of their human rights. This could be done by releasing all the Sikh detainees and punishing the officers guilty of excesses in Punjab. The only other Sikh leader who has been raising these matters is Simranjit Singh Mann. The Sikh leaders have to unite at least on these limited issues leaving aside the wider questions of the Sikh political aim for the present. Let Tohra take a lead in this respect, and Mann follow him. Badal and men of his thinking will be compelled to make their choice.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 28, 1996
