Jagtar Singh

    Akali Dal distances from its last traditional agenda of farmers too After dumping the Panthic issues, the Shiromani Akali Dal, the party with glorious history of pro-people struggles, has finally moved away from its last traditional space in the  farmers domain. This second oldest political party in the country that for decades used to be identified with the Panth and the farmers has landed in a role that is perceived to be dictated by the lust for a cabinet berth in the Narendra Modi government. The issue is the farm and food grains policy adopted by the Modi government as reflected in the three ordinances issued recently that threaten the existing system of procurement and marketing. The issue here is not the assertion that the MSP would be retained but that of its turning irrelevant. The farmers would now be at the mercy of the corporates who would dictate the terms of trade in the farm sector under this open market system  in which the state wou...

Akal Takht Jathedar should initiate move for restoring credibility and status of Sikh institutions Within hours of the Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh creating ripple during Operation Bluestar anniversary function by reviving the issue of Sikh homeland, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gobind Singh Longowal went on record seeking permission of the government to serve Parsad and Langar in Sikh shrines. These are the two extremes in the religio-political dynamics. Seeking permission from the government to serve even Parsad and Langar reflects yet another level of the degradation of the highest Sikh institutions. The Sikhs shrines don’t function within any government outlined framework. This statement of Longowal, however, is not the provocation for this write-up. It is just another example. This is mainly in the context of Operation Bluestar narrative of GIani Harpreet Singh. The problem is that the highest Sikh institutions like Akal Takht and th...

Khalistan discourse stages comeback on Bluestar anniversary, this time  via Akal Takht Jathedar Thirty six years after Operation Bluestar, the demand for Khalistan has staged a comeback, this time via Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh. Today was the anniversary of that unprecedented army action in independent India. The demand for Khalistan had not been raised by any main politicio-militant formation till 6 June, 1984. The issue cropped up in reply to a question at the press conference after the anniversary function was over at the Akal Takht that is organised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. He started with the remark of every government at the centre being anti-Sikh. The issue of Khalistan came up in reply to a question about the raising of Khalistan slogans after the function was over. He justified raising the slogans thereby providing legitimacy under the present situation. When asked about his stand on the demand itself, he said, “In case...