While S Simranjit Singh Mann is at pains like the rest of us to tell the world that the Sikhs were tricked into joining the Indian Union by false promises and that the Sikhs are not party or signatories to the Indian Constitution it is hard to see the logic behind holding negotiations within the framework of this very set of laws..
We doubt anyone can question S Mann’s integrity sincerity and sacrifice for the cause of Sikh honor. But the time has come for us to believe that his efforts are misdirected and doomed to be fruitless. § Mann forgets he is dealing not with any one fixed Indian position but with a multitude of vested political interests which are united only in that they must keep the Sikhs and other minorities enslaved. Chandra Shekhar is the Prime Minister. He may or may not be sincere in his offers of talks on the so called “Punjab problem” His sincerity even has been rendered impotent by the very nature of his minority government. Rajiv Gandhi is busy in finding ways to show Shekhar the door without having to face the electorate. And 5000 widows in Delhi alone will bear witness to the love Rajiv has for the Sikhs.
The Newspapers are full of S Mann’s public statements that there would be no further talks with Delhi without the militants. But there are reports also that he is involved in hectic secret parleys. Granted for the sake of argument that S Mann is successful in becoming the chief minister of Punjab. Would he be able to pass a resolution in the state assembly for an independent and sovereign Khalistan? We think not as that would perhaps be the first condition Delhi would extract from him. lf that is his intention he has only one choice declare Khalistan today. S Mann knows full well the price he would have to pay for such a move indeed he has paid for his earlier stand against Operation Bluestar with five years of the worst possible torture in Indian jails. But Smann must remember how he was rewarded by his own people. The Sikhs made him the leader of their nation elected him and his party men to Parliament because they felt here was a man they had looking for brave honest and articulate. A man who would lead the Sikh nation to glorious freedom. If they had wanted a chief minister why this intense struggle the incredible sacrifice? Punjab has had a dozen chief ministers and there are dozens waiting in the wings to become personally rich and powerful.
Again we do not doubt $ Mann’s integrity but the question naturally comes to mind as to what happened to S Mann’s party. Alas the 9-odd Mps have long gone their own separate ways. And S Mann has had to take the recourse of joining hands with the corrupt traditional leaders who were themselves in limbo and looking for someone to lean on.
Statements from many of our so-called leaders seem not to have the objective of freedom before them. They seem to forget that almost an entire generation of Sikh youth has laid down their lives in the past decade. No Sikh could stoop so low as to neither barter away this incredible sacrifice nor ever forget it. For the moment the only way for the Sikhs is to continue the struggle and if any one aspires to be a leader among Sikhs he must unequivocally and openly come out in support of an independent Sikh nation.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 1, 1991
