CHANDIGARH: Who first raised the demand for Khalistan? It was not Ganga Singh Dhillon. Nor was it Jagjit Singh Chauhan. Not even Bhindranwale The demand for a separate Sikh State was raised by the Panthic Akali Dal way back in 1946. This fact has now been highlighted in a document titled: A statement on the background of the Sikh struggle. Prepared by the Punjab Studies Circle 4 new organization which has been set up here. The 42-page document has been authored by Major-General Narinder Singh (Reid.) and Ram Narayan Kuman a Delhi-based human rights activist. The document was released at a press conference here recently through the introduction to the first chapter titled: The goal of Khalistan: the Sikh resolution of March 1946. It says: Forty four years ago. Sikhs had first set out the goal of a sovereign State in a resolution adopted by the Panthic Akali Dal when they perceived a threat to their identity and their social vision on account of communal polarization in the Indian subcontinent which eventually led to its partition. The document further says: Students of contemporary Indian history are aware that the Sikh leaders who had been consulted by the Cabinet Mission before the latter proposed its scheme for Indian independence. in. May 1946 had forcefully argued for formation of Khalistan within which alone they believed the Sikh interest in the subcontinent could be protected.

The document later explains in detail how the Sikhs finally agreed to join the Constituent. The document then makes a special reliance to the 1929 resolution of the Congress and Mahatma Gandhi’s pledges to Sikhs. The document states When Sikh leaders expressed anxiety over their future in India under a nationalist Government which provided no statutory protection to them as a minority the Congress allayed their fears by passing a resolution in Lahore saying that on achieving independence no constitution would be framed unless it was acceptable to Sikhs. Gandhi repeated the same commitment on the eve of his departure for England to attend the second Round Table Conference in March 1931. The document also deals with the Cripps Mission and its failure. Both Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabh Bhai Patel have been strongly criticized for their role in what the document calls sabotaging the Cabinet Mission Plan

The document says: The Cabinet Mission scheme had been devised to avert the partition of India. However Nehru and Patel having first accepted it sabotaged the scheme after coming round to the view that it was better to let part of India become sovereign Pakistan and then to rule the rest of the subcontinent in a totalitarian manner instead of presiding over a democratic federation with provinces being virtually autonomous With this view they together with Mount ballen worked out the partition plan.

The document then goes on to specially mention how Mr Hukam Singh and Mr Bhupinder Singh the two representatives of the Akali Dal had rejected the Constitution as adopted by the Drafting Committee and the Constituent Assembly on November 26.1949.

The document has also criticized Nehru for setting up the Planning Commission. It observes: Nehru conceived an extra constitutional body like the Planning Commission although the Constitution was already loaded very much in favour of Central control.

The document further criticizes the Centre for its role in reorganization of States the Punjabi Suba agitation and various territorial and river waters issues raised by the Akali Dal by launching agitations from time to time after Independence. The document tries of describe how the Congress leaders before Independence and the rulers in Delhi after it have wronged Sikhs and Akalis.

The concluding section of the document says: The Sikhs struggle against the Indian State is motivated by a vision of society which has become unattainable within the framework of the Indian Constitution. The question whether the objectives of the struggle are attainable within the scope of Indian unity becomes Irrelevant in the context. (Statesman Nov 6)

Dalit Voice

Article extracted from this publication >> January 25, 1991