Hypocrisy of Punjab's political class exposed on issue of extension of jurisdiction of BSF in Punjab and other border states

 

 

Ground Zero

After 42 years, Badal revives call for united fight for federalism 

after  supporting abrogation of Article 370

Amarinder’s volte face on jurisdiction of Border Security Force

Jagtar Singh

 

Strange are the ways of the members of the political class. They seem to believe that the public memory is too short. They are wrong.

The stand taken by at least two of the senior politicians cutting across party lines on the extension of Border Security Force to 50 km depth from the earlier 15 km in Punjab has exposed their brazen hypocrisy. They are Akali Dal patriarch and five time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and former Congress chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh.

The Home ministry has effected changes in the jurisdiction of the BSF to make searches and arrests in specified crimes in the border states. In case of Gujrat, it has been reduced to 50 km from 80 km. However, the border regions of both Rajasthan and Gujrat are sparsely populated unlike Punjab. Land is cultivated in Punjab right upto Zero line, even beyond the concertina fence.

The BSF can now put up nakas under its jurisdiction and this could be source of major harassment going by the past experience in this state when Army was deployed here. This action violates the spirit of federalism as enshrined in the Constitution.

It is pertinent to recall that Punjab experienced the worst earlier under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act imposed in 1983 and few remember as to when it was withdrawn after many years. The powers of the armed forces under this act were virtually unlimited.

Sardar Badal has now rightly given the call to political parties to unitedly fight for federalism. Here is part of his statement released on October 15: “Five times Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called upon  all political parties in the state” to stop fighting among themselves and  wage a united fight against   center’s move to  ‘turn Punjab into a Union Territory through the back door by handing it over to the central security forces like the BSF. This move  will further weaken the already  endangered federal structure of the country and  will reduce the state govt to the status of municipality. This  will be severe blow to the pride and dignity of  Punjabis….Mr Badal said, “If don’t stop our mutual fights for  petty stakes,  the center will merrily take advantage of our weaknesses. Tomorrow, we will all  repent, having  no powers left  to solve the problems of the people. There will be nothing left for then.”

Apparently, nothing wrong with his statement except the fact that his party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, had earlier supported the abrogation of Article 370 under which Jammu and Kashmir had been granted special status. Not only that. Jammu and Kashmir state was bifurcated into two union territories. The Akali Dal voted in favour of this bill in both Houses of Parliament. This is matter of record.

This party has been in alliance with the BJP from 1996 to 2020, the party whose basic agenda is homogenisation and centralisation.

Not only that.

It was in 1979 that Sardar Badal had proposed meeting of non-Congress chief ministers on the agenda of autonomy. He received positive response from West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu. The meeting was never held. Prime Minister Morarji Desai pressured Badal to call off the meeting. Akali Dal was part of the Janata Party government at the centre and in alliance in Punjab. This issue was forgotten and taken up only when the party went out of power in 1980.

The Akali Dal is again now out of power after exit from the Modi government.

Sardar Badal has now suddenly recalled all earlier issues that he never took up during his three full terms as the chief minister. This party has strange ways of forgetting the issues after coming into power.

It is pertinent to mention that Sardar Badal might have borrowed the idea of united fight in 1979 from Justice Gurnam Singh who was the chief minister in 1969 and Sardar Badal was minister of state in that government.

After the Akali Dal adopted Batala Resolution on autonomy in 1968, Justice Gurnam Singh invited Tamil Nadu (Then Madras) chief minister M Karunidhi to Ludhiana in 1969 to discuss the autonomy issue. They decided to convene meeting of non-Congress chief ministers. It could not be taken to the logical conclusion. Sardar Badal had succeeded Justice Gurnam Singh as the chief minister in 1970.

The public memory is not that short.

Similar is the case with Capt Amarinder Singh who has now welcomed this notification that hands over almost half of Punjab to the BSF.

He, as the chief minister in 2018, proposed that the BSF personnel manning the border should be rotated after some time to end  the alleged nexus between them and the drug smugglers.

His earlier stand was still more tough. He has been quoted in a report dated March 19, 2016  datelined Amritsar, “Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday alleged there was a nexus between the border security force and the Pakistan Ranger facilitating smuggling of drugs into India…The Amritsar MP said he had suggested shifting BSF’s platoons within a year’s time…He said cross border smuggling was not possible without connivance of BSF and Pakistan Rangers”.

Here is when he has now stated on increase of jurisdiction of BSF to 50 km depth, “Our soldiers are being killed in Kashmir. We are seeing more and more weapons and drugs being pushed  by Pak-backed terrorists into Punjab. BSF’s enhanced  presence and powers  will only make us stronger. Let us not drag central armed forces into politics.”

Under discussion here is not merits or demerits of the centre’s decision but rank opportunism of political class in this border state whose religio-political dynamics is highly fragile.

Federalism is the issue that is dear to people in Punjab but not its politicisation to mobilise votes.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Akali Dal had contested the 1952 election on the issue of autonomy. This was one of the major demands on which the party launched Dharamyudh Morcha on August 4, 1982.

 For how long the political class would keep on befooling people?