Khalistan returns to political discourse with centre’s decision on Sikh radical leaders abroad

 

Khalistan returns to political discourse with centre’s decision on Sikh radical leaders abroad

At the time when universalism and humanitarian content of the Sikh doctrine has pushed the Sikh identity to the global centre stage in the crisis ridden world, the Modi government has brought the issue of Khalistan back in the political discourse by declaring seven Khalistani activists as ‘individual terrorists’.

Earlier, the issue had been raked up when Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh had asserted that every Sikh aspire for homeland as it was for the first time this subject had been raised by the chief of this supreme religio-political seat symbolising sovereignty of the Sikh doctrine.

In a sudden move, the Centre yesterday listed Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, Wadhawa Singh Babbar, Ranjit Singh Neeta, Hardeep Singh Nijjer, Lakhbir Singh Rode, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, Bhupinder Singh Bhinda, Gurmeet Singh Bagga and Paramjit Singh from Babbar Khalsa UK as terrorists. All of them are settled abroad.

Currently in news is Pannu for his ‘2020 Referendum’ despite the fact that neither one knows and nor he shares as to how his procedure is going to achieve this objective. Moreover, there are no takers for his discourse in Indian Punjab, the land that he wants to convert into Khalistan. He himself is clean-shaven. He got some legitimacy when the rulers in Punjab started taking notice of his activities.

It is a fact that hundreds of people have been killed in the struggle that got focussed on Khalistan only in 1986 although it was triggered in 1978 following the April 1978 Sikh-Nirankari clash in Amritsar. Of course, the demand had been raised much earlier. Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who symbolises that struggle, never unequivocally and unambiguously raised this demand.

The issues confronting the people in Punjab are different and are related more to survival, more so under the given situation. The only organisation that has been raising this issue but only democratically is the Dal Khalsa in Punjab that has a limited following.

Whatever the discontent in the Sikh religio-political matrix, it is driven more by failure of the system and lack of will to take the issues like the Bargari sacrilege and the alleged involvement of Dera Sacha Sauda to the logical conclusion.

Of course, the continuing threat perception rooted in the Khalistan discourse suits all those who seek security under this garb and provide legitimacy to the ever increasing budget of the police and the related wings in the state.

There is one another aspect. The present regime at the centre had last year facilitated the visit of some former radical leaders to Punjab and that included a group of five persons from European countries. The group is learnt to have submitted a memorandum too to the people who matter in New Delhi. The interaction was to resume sometime after March last but the situation changed.

This group included persons from the organisation with whom Babbar Khalsa chief Wadhawa Singh Babbar is also linked. It may be mentioned that the people who at one time constituted the Babbar Khalsa were rooted in the dyed-in-the-wool religious body known as the Akhand Kirtani Jatha. Some members of this organisations overseas have been interacting with the people in New Delhi.

Both the Centre and the Punjab government have been referring to the threat perception from Sikh militants from time to time. However, the issue is as to the impact of this demand at the grassroots.

The Khalistan discourse might not get revived even by the Referendum 2020 people but it has been brought back to the political discourse with this decision of the centre.

Of course, people have been receiving recorded message from Pannu and some of his associates about Referendum 2020 being under way from July 4. But again, what matters is the situation at the grassroots in Punjab, not that of the demand being raised overseas