Simranjit Singh Mann MP
President Shriomani Akali Dal
25/4/90
Mufti Mohammed Syed
Home Minister
New Delhi
My dear Mufti Sahib
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
I have read in the Press your critical statements regarding the Shiromani Akali Dal and myself. You have accused me of being a confused person who keeps shifting his stand. As this statement is not merely the handiwork of the usual Government machinery of misinformation but a formal statement by the Home Minister of India, it is only proper that I clearly state the stand of my party.
I have consistently said that we stand for the restoration of democratic Institutions, protection of human rights and true federalism keeping in view India’s history and geography. The Anandpur Sahib Resolution was aimed at protecting Punjab’s equitable economic interests as also preserving Punjabi culture and the Sikh heritage. What is secessionist in this?
If there is any confusion, it lies in the contradiction between the promises and performance of the Janata Dal Government as also the conflicting views of its allies. The Janata Dal party manifesto and election speeches by its leaders, clearly committed your Government to hold early elections in Punjab. Instead you murdered democracy by extending President’s Rule by another six months through the 65th Constitutional Amendment.
You state that elections will be held within six months, so why am I agitated? The fact is that elections are such a fundamental part of our political process that a delay of even a day is condemnable.
In any case your declaration has a hollow ring when the Prime Minister has qualified your statement in Amritsar. Mr V.P. Singh said that the Government is trying to create conditions so that elections can be held within six months. The daily press and the general public takes this to mean an indefinite suspension of elections. In any case, the present situation is not likely to change given the poor quality of the administration and the vitiated political advice the Prime Minister is receiving.
Your case for suspending elections is twofold: a) that free and fair elections are not possible in Punjab, b) all political parties barring the Akali Dal which I have the honor to lead, are opposed to elections. As I stated in the National Intogration Council, elections are so basic for the preservation of a ‘free Government that they are never postponed except in the gravest crisis’. I had quoted the example of the Americal Civil War when elections were held during hostilities.
Does such an emergency exist in Punjab? Your own Government is painting a rosy picture of its revenue collection and other development activity. You are no doubt aware that the present administration which conducted the Lok Sabha polls had no reservations regarding their peaceful and trouble free nature. Such doubts only emerged a month later when your faltering policies, supervised by a Governor of slow reflexes and rigidity provided the officials an opportunity for perpetuation of President’s Rule, both to feather their nests and escape the consequences of their misrule.
Even the Congress -I, which caused such devastation and human misery had ultimately recognized the need for elections by holding the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab. Therefore, your Government and party have reversed the process of democracy, you above all were committed to restore. It is amazing that simply to keep my party out of power, the nation is prepared to go the length of subverting its constitution and political system.
The focus on elections has diverted attention from the other major issues facing Punjab. You may recollect that the Sikhs who were the third successor power opted for India at independence on certain commitments such as special status and a constitution which would satisfy them by safeguarding their interests. These promises were promptly forgotten compelling the Sikh representatives, Sardar Hukam Singh and Sardar Bhupinder Singh Mann to abstain from signing the draft resolution.
Indeed the nation denied Punjab and the Sikhs even those rights acceded to other states. Therefore, the Sikhs had to launch a long struggle to obtain a Punjabi Speaking State which was eventually formed on communal lines based on the false 1961 census. This left out of Punjab many Punjabi Speaking areas including its capital, Chandigarh. The control of the Punjab river waters and hydel projects was transferred to central authorities. This is unconstitutional. The Central Government investment in Punjab is the lowest in India. It appears that Punjab is being meted punishment simply because the Sikhs live here.
When the Sikhs had peacefully agitated against this blatant discrimination, the successive Central Government of Mrs Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi launched policy of total repression including the use of military to silence them. This resulted in the sacrilege of the most holy Sikh Shrines, genocide after Mrs Gandhi’s assassination and the ‘bullet for bullet’ policy of fake police encounters. This led to the alienation of the Sikhs from their Government and such countrymen who had supported the harsh measures. The birth of Sikh militancy is a direct consequence of the large scale state repression against law abiding citizens by the massive police and military developments.
The Janta Dal Government brought new hope for peace and normalcy. However, your Government, mainly under pressure from some power brokers in the ranks of your allies, has continued the same Draconian policies of the Gandhi Prime Ministers and retained the repressive and corrupt apparatus. Grateful for the chance of loot without accountability the administration is prepared to barter away the remaining interests of Punjab with actions like the construction of the S.Y.L canal long after the Punjab Accord, of which it was part has collapsed.
The issue of war with Pakistan has arisen. The Prime Minster has asked us to mentally prepare for war. Many well-known public figres whose integrity and patriotism is beyond question have cautioned the Government about the futility of war. Across the border, the Chief Minister of Baluchistan has expressed similar reservations on the prevailing situation. An Indo-Pakistan war is of the highest concern not only because of the heavy damage it will cause but the possibility that both sides may possess nuclear weapons. Punjab is bound to bear the brunt of the war. Therefore, as the President of largest political party in Punjab, I, more than others was duty bound to express my concern on the issue especially as our Government has not even bothered to take us into confidence. In the Indian Sub-continent the problem of various nationalities tend to spill over International boarders. This naturally involves the affected populations and the concerned political parties. Therefore, Mr Karunanidhi and the AIADMK leaders were actively involved in mediating in Sri Lanka even as the Indian Army was fighting there. Our national leaders illegally entered Nepal to address rallies. The BJP virtually threatened Foreign Minister Gujral on the Chakma issue. Mr Fernandes and others supported the Tibetan cause even as the Indian and Chinese Governments were conducting sensitive negotiations.
I volunteered to mediate to diffuse the crisis so the sub-continent may have peace. This offer was not well received by you. Obviously, a Sikh yearning for peace has no place in the heart of our Government.
To sum up : (a) Elections cannot take place in Punjab because the Indian State with all its ‘might’ cannot ensure free and fair elections. (b) Issues of Punjab have low priority in Delhi. (c) People of Punjab have no say in their affairs. This power has been given to parties with little presence in the state and the corrupt administration. (d) The State is treated in a cavalier manner on issues of war and peace which are of the highest concern to its people. (e) Any dissent against this state of affairs is to be crushed by force.
All this has created great resentment in Punjab. The feeling has grown that an elected Government is of the highest priority to ensure that the interests of the state are protected and the repressive machinery dismantled. That is why a feeling has grown that if the Government feels helpless to hold elections it should not hesitate to invite the U.N. to conduct the polls. No action or price is too high for the restoration of democracy. This poll can also form a referendum for all issues I have raised in my letter.
I hope that my letter will remove any confusion you and your colleagues may have felt about the stand of my party and our commitment to peace in the Indian sub-continent.
With kind regards.
Simranjit Singh Mann
