Dear Sir
This is in reference to the article titled “Contest or to boycott Punjab elections” by Dr. Sukhbir Singh. I do not agree with several of his arguments but would like to comment on the specific issue of whether the Sikh political parties should contest of boycott the re announced elections in Punjab.
It does not take much genius to conclude that the best option for the Sikhs in theory is to “legitimize that claim via an electoral. However one may lead to a different conclusion if one were to take practical realities into account. This strategy might make perfect sense if there was even a semblance of real democracy in Punjab but we all know what the situation has been for nearly a decade. For example there needs to be some freedom of speech and fair access to media for the Sikh nationalist leadership to “educate the electorate on the merits of Khalsa raj” One the other hand the Indian government uses its control/ownership of almost all of the media to defame and discredit any nationalist Sikh/party/group. To illustrate let me recount a recent personal experience. On the other hand the Indian government uses its control/ownership of almost all of the media to defame and discredits any nationalist Sikh/ party/group. To illustrate let me recount a recent personal experience. On a trip to a Punjab village I was told by a relative that the “terrorists” were good boys who always tried to help them. “So why do you call them terrorists. Do you know what that means?” I asked “That’s what everyone calls them. We don’t understand such English vers” he replied. Similar tactics were used against the Naga militants (labeling them “hostiles”) in the fifties and the sixties.
For the sake of a theoretical analysis let explore the various events that would need to take place for the nationalist Sikhs to “legitimize their claim via an electoral mandate.”
–First the elections would actually need to take place. We all know the recent history on that.
Second Sikh nationalists (as opposed to Sikh opportunists!) would have to win by a fairly significant margin That would not be as easy as it might seem. Sikhs have only a slight majority in Punjab I contend that the election scenario would be very different if the Sikh nationalists were indeed contesting. All other parties (Congress BJP Communists etc.) Would join ranks to oppose them. This contention is borne out by the fact that in issues relating to Sikh nationalism (as well as some others e.g. Kashmiri nationalism) all parties come together regardless of even major difference over other important and fundamental issues.
Third the new Sikh nationalist government would actually have to hold a legislative session History shows that the Indian central govt. has not hesitated to suspend an elected state legislature and impose Presidents rule” (federal rule) on the slightest of pretext. This has been done over ten times the state of Punjab since India’s independence.
-Fourth the new Sikh nationalist government would have to pass a resolution declaring independence (a la Lithuania). This again would not be so simple. Remember Mr. Jagdev Singh Khudian. He was elected as an MP from Punjab along with several other Sikh nationalist candidates in the last election. He was abducted and killed by the police reportedly shortly before he was to make a declaration for independence: in the parliament.
What are the chances that all these steps would be successful? Not much in my opinion.
One the other hand most of the media (in India and in the west) has observed that if the current election boycott by most of the Sikh Akali parties holds the elections would not have much legitimacy. That would deprive the Indian govt. of its primary objective for holding the elections. In any case if one was to look for the Sikh nationalists to ““legitimize their claim via an electoral mandate” one need look no farther than the parliamentary elections that were held a few years ago in which Sikh nationalist candidates won most of the seats with overwhelming majorities for many of them.
Furthermore it is unity amongst the Sikhs that really worries the Indian govt. It knows that once the Sikhs unite it would have to accede to their demand for independence. Every time there has been a move within the Sikh community to unite over some issue the Indian govt. has used every trick in this book thwarted. In my opinion the real reason why Sant Bhindran wale was killed by the Indian armed forces was the tremendous unity he was beginning to create amongst the Sikh peasantry. It would not surprise me that the recent statements against the election boycott at tribute to the Panthic Committee leader Dr. Sohan Singh were in fact planted by the Indian intelligence agencies at a time when the Sikhs were starting to come together over an important issue. It is no secret that unity amongst Sikhs across many dimensions i sorely needed (and sadly lacking). Unity amongst many of the Akal panties for the elections boycott could a small beginning.
- Singh
Committee of Concerned
Punjabi Boston. MA.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 21, 1992
