Hardly three months are left before India’s Lok Sabha to go to poll where Punjab has to return 13 members. Most of the Sikhs are represented by Akali groups. The community has had to pass through a turbulent phase, while most Sikhs in Punjab are in favor of participating in the elections; the Akali groups remain at loggerheads. There are three main influential electoral groups in Punjab: the Congress(1) which tan bank upon a solid constituency of upper caste Hindus comprising about 15% of Punjab’s population, This party “somehow manages to win over a section of Sikhs, both in ‘rural and urban areas, where the major Akali groups fail to ‘unite. It also has support from the Dalits but this support base is shrinking on account of the rise of the B.S.P. led by Kanshi Ram. The B.S.P has the potential to gather support from the Dalit population which is numerically strong in Punjab as it comprises 28% of the population. Kanshi Ram *has had talks with Akali leader Prakash Singh Badal for “electoral adjustments. Kanshi Ram’s main aim is political power at whatever “vest. There does not appear to be any finality of his talks with Badal or anyone else until the elections. He may still be ‘looking for an overall alliance with Congress (1) at the national level and Punjab could not possibly be separated. From his scheme of things. There is a great deal of confusion, among Sikh groups about the utility of an understanding with the B.S.P. It is argued that the B.S.P. is in no position ‘to transfer the Dalit votes in favor of Akali candidates. However, it is an electoral asset to Sikhs only if the party “puts up its own candidates, in that situation, it weans away Dalits from the Congress (I) to pave the way for Sikhs to win. There may be some truth in this argument. But it tends to ‘ignore the fact that an overall electoral understanding ‘between Sikh groups and Dalits acts as a tremendous booster to their electoral campaign. For, the two segments of Punjab’s population comprise as high as 80 percent. The trouble really arises because of a lack of understanding among Sikh groups themselves rather than between the Sikhs and Dalits, There are two main Akali groups: one led by Parkash Singh Badal and the other headed by Simranjit Singh Mann. In addition, the old Baba Joginder Singh group ‘is maintaining its own independent identity and has pockets of influence in the state. The B.K.U. headed by Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, too, has floated a political party of its own: Lok Hit Party. The B.K.U_.is essentially a party of Sikh peasantry. Badal rejects the Amritsar Declaration to which Mann strongly subscribes. The Badal group says it is in favor of the Anandpur resolution. No parliamentary party in India can reply on a single point program. Even the B.J.P, no longer views a one point Hindu state program to be electorally rewarding. Similarly, it has toned down the demand for Ram Mandir as a be all and end all slogan. The Congress (I), too, does not stand by any one point program. Nevertheless, the main Sikh groups can continue subscribing to their respective programs. At the same time they can agree to a minimum program of action in the Indian Parliament. The main components of this program could be fighting for Sikhs’ human rights and against Indian government’s discriminatory policies towards Sikhs and Punjab; seeking punishment for those who committed atrocities on Sikhs during the past 15 years, be they political leaders like H.K.L. Bhagat or police officers like K.P.S. Gill; seeking relief for the families affected by Indian atrocities; protecting Punjab’s rights to its electricity and ‘water and’ projecting the problems of Sikhs all over the globe. The Sikh representatives are free to seek political Changes in accordance with the program of their parent groups. The Indian Constitutions flexible enough to permit raising the demand for a Hindu state or a Khalsa state which is much more than the Anandpur Sahib resolution or the Amritsar declaration. ; The challenge to Sikh representatives is how to put across ideas to make the world, including Sikhs, receptive to what they stand for, Any undemocratic hurdles to be put by the Indian state in the Way of such efforts will only boomerang, in the country’s rulers. Will Akali leaders grab the opportunity and unite, or fritter it away, is the million dollar question.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 17, 1996
