LUDHIANA: Three Sikh organizations in a join move have called upon panthic committees to issue a program of action to involve the masses in the current struggle for freedom.
Punjab Sikh Lawyers Council, Sikh Vichar Manch and a representative of Takhat Sri Paina Saheb management committee suggested that urgent effective measures be taken to make Punjab as self-sufficient as possible so that the movement towards complete independence takes strides to wands fulfillment.
Representatives of the three organizations Mohinder Singh Grewal, D.S.Gill, Mukeshinder Singh Dhillon, Baba Inderjt Singh Bedi and Bhai Kalyan Singh met here last week to formulate a joint action program for consideration by the Panthic committees.
The three organizations pleaded that no over ground or individual group was in a Position to assume Sikh leadership. At the same time the Sikh masses were in favor of 2 programs to be run by the over ground movement supplement the underground movement. Such a program should be totally free from any trace of parliamentary careerism, thus such a program could be
given by the Panthic committees alone and by none else.
The main issue, therefore, is the need to formulate the required program of action to be issued by the Panthic committees. The thee organizations felt that the struggle by the over ground has to be along drawn out one. There are no shortcuts available. India could be given a big blow if Punjab becomes as much self-reliant as possible. There is the need for bringing about fundamental changes in the cultivation practices by Punjab farmers. The idea should be to reduce the acreage under wheat and rice and to increase the production of such crops as sugarcane, edible oil, fruits, pulses and wood.
At present the Punjab farmers have to virally fall on the feet of the Indian authorities to have their wheat and rice lifted in markets India’s fed to the extent of 75% by Punjab alone. Indian security forces eat Punjab’s grains to kill Sikh youths. Such a situation could not be allowed to continue. The organizations also pleaded that Punjab should not allow a drop of water from Sutlej, Beas and Ravi to be taken out of the State. The question is not merely of stopping the constriction of the Suilej Yamuna link canal. Diversion of this water will make Punjab barren before long and is contrary to all international and even Indian laws. These two issues, the organizations said, should get top priority in the program. These measures had brought about a qualitative change in the political situation last year. Their abandonment later came as an anticlimax, ‘The tree organizations took with pinch of salt the militants’ other item namely introduction of Punjabi in the state’s administration, Any program that meets with certain amount of approval from the enemy ipso facto is off the mark, the organizations said, In any case, the items such as the introduction of Punjabi could wait for political changes. There are more pressing issues to claim priority. Thus the 1989-90 programs had certain amount of imbalance about it the organizations felt. “The organizations in a wide ranging review of Sikh politics also deprecated the tendency to bold meaningless talks with India. There is the need identify those elements which acted as mediators to mislead the Sikhs at a crucial moment, the three organizations added.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 15, 1991
