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At stake in Bargari sacrilege narrative is credibility of Capt Amarinder Singh in Sikh domain



Jagtar Singh

Two interviews of Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in the same paper within four days but by two different reporters in the rank of editor.
In both the interviews, the headline relates to Bargari sacrilege.
Headline on September 24, 2019:
Badal not involved in sacrilege, no timeframe on SIT.
Headline on September 28 in the same paper:
Akalis definitely trying to scuttle Bargari probe, clearly have something to hide.
In-between on September 25, the same paper carried banner headline on Punjab page:
Capt comes under fire, govt in damage control. This story also carried clarification from the Chief Minister who asserted the headline on September 24 was misleading and there was nothing like giving clean chit to  Parkash Singh Badal. Despite this clarification, the same paper carried another interview but by Delhi journalist.
Clearly, the Bargari sacrilege narrative continues to dominate religio-political discourse in this sensitive border state. And this issue is likely to continue to dictate the political discourse till 2022 when the next Assembly elections are due. It is also a good diversion from perception of non-governance.
The Bargari narrative goes back to 2015 when  Badal headed the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in Punjab with his son Sukhbir Singh Badal as the deputy chief minister.
The issue relates to theft of the Bir of Guru Granth Sahib from village Burj Jawahar Singh Wala on June 1, 2015 whose pages were found scattered in the streets of the adjoining Bargari village in the morning of October 12. Two  posters had earlier appeared in abusive language challenging the Sikhs to recover Guru Granth Sahib that was claimed to be hidden in Bargari and it carried the signature line of the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda. The Badal government had failed to act.
A section within the ruling Congress is openly dissatisfied and this section includes cabinet colleagues of Capt Amarinder Singh, besides a group of MLAs. Former state Congress chief and Rajya Sabha member Partap Singh Bajwa too has chipped in to take advantage of the situation.
The basic issue is confusion that has been caused mainly with Capt Amarinder Singh changing his position on the same very issue over time and all this is on the record and pointed out earlier in detail and need not be repeated here.
One has to go back to history to understand the political fall-out of such issues. Badal was the chief minister when the Sikh-Nirankari confrontation took place on April 13, 1978 at Amritsar in which 13 Sikhs were killed. Badal came under sharp attack  for soft-pedalling the issue. Despite having been the chief minister of Punjab for a record five times, that taint has not been cleared.
At one level, Capt Amarinder Singh is now in the same situation as he is being perceived to be in mix up with the Badal family. It is two well known that the Badal family continues to command power in the state. The perception of this complicit politics is now deep rooted among the people in the state.
Bargari issue needs closure.
The CBI was  probing only three cases relating to Bargari sacrilege. The probe from the CBI was withdrawn by the state government following unanimous resolution passed in the Assembly. That did not happen.
However, the SIT that was formed by the state government after withdrawing case from the CBI is focussed mainly on firing at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan. The problem is that this 5-member SIT stands divided and that has impacted the probe. Two chargesheets have been filed by the two groups in the SIT. Has Capt Amarinder Singh resolved this contentious issue so that the investigation is taken to the logical conclusion rather than getting embroiled in the CBI issue?
The political elite must realise that this issue would continue to haunt them if not taken to logical conclusion.  
Capt Amarinder Singh is perceived to be a better Sikh than the Badals.
At stake in Sikh religio-political matrix is Capt Amarinder Singh’s own credibility. It is his choice to maintain that perception among the Sikhs or not.
Punjab is history of the Sikhs.  

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