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Thirty seven years after Operation Bluestar, Khalistan narrative gets legitimacy from Akal Takht

 


Khalistan narrative gets institutional legitimacy from Sikh sovereign seat of Akal Takht

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

 

Khalistan was not the political objective of the militant struggle commanded by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale during Phase I that ended with Operation Bluestar, the brutal army attack in the Golden Temple (Darbar Sahib) complex in June, 1984. The slogan ‘June Chhe, Khalistan Day’ (June 6 is pronounced as June Chhe in Punjabi) resonated in this most sacred shrine of the Sikhs at 37th  anniversary today of that attack that has now been named as the Third Holocaust faced by the Sikhs in history. The raising of this symbol has been justified by the highest institution of Akal Takht as expression of hurt and pain.

As compared to previous anniversaries, the gathering this time was massive. The Akali Dal dominated Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee used to discourage larger gathering at such functions earlier. The scene today was different.

The justification to the raising of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ slogan was provided by GIani Harpreet Singh, the post-graduate acting chief of Akal Takht, the symbol of Sikh sovereignty created by Guru Hargobind, the Sixth Guru.

He said, “The Khalistan Zindabad slogan symbolizes the pain of that attack”.

In the process, he has provided legitimacy to the Khalistan narrative.



The slogan ‘June 6, Khalistan Day’ has been coined by the Dal Khalsa, the radical organisation that now subscribes to the peaceful parliamentary methods for the achievement of Khalistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that the raising of Khalistan slogan had at one time been scrutinized by the Supreme Court and that ruling has been repeatedly quoted in cases of sedition. The accused in that case was acquitted by the apex court.

No Akali Dal leader was present at the function today. This function is otherwise organized by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee but has mainly been attended by activists from radical organisations. Parkash Singh Badal too had participated in this function in 1986.

It may be recalled that the last time the main Akali leaders including Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra  had focused on the demand for Khalistan was way back on April 22, 1992 in a memorandum submitted  to the United Nation.

This narrative had come up last year too at this anniversary but in a different context.

Replying to a question from journalists on the raising of Khalistan slogans, he had said the Sikh community would take it if offered by the government. This was how Sant  Bhindranwale too used to articulate his views on this issue without raising this demand.

Giani Harpreet Singh had said last year, “If the Indian government offers Khalistan, what else do we need? We will accept it. Which Sikh is there in the world who does not want it”.

However, his articulation this time is different as he has now justified the narrative.

In the run up to the Assembly elections in the state due in February next year, the soft line could be part of the design to mollify the anti-Akali sentiment in a section of the Sikhs following Bargari sacrilege issue of 2015.

Earlier a few days back, the SGPC had, for the first time since Operation Bluestar, displayed the hand-written Bir of Guru Grant Sahib that had been hit by a bullet in the first floor of the Golden Temple.

Both the Akal Takht as well as the SGPC has been under attack ever since the Bargari sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib for getting dictated by the Akali Dal leadership. Parkash Singh Badal was the Chief Minister in 2015. The party, even in 2018, had opposed those Sikh activists who had launched agitation on June 1 seeking justice in the case of sacrilege and killing of two Sikh devotees in police firing in October 2015.

The Akali Dal is now looking for new partners after the alliance with the BJP having ended under pressure from the agitation launched by the farmers that too had been opposed by the Akali leadership at the first stage. The revival in the support base in the Sikh domain would be highly helpful to the party under the given situation.

However, the basic issue is that of institutional legitimacy to the demand for Khalistan and this has happened for the first time.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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