Mann government should introduced works of Shaheed Bhagat Singh in school and college syllabi, not just install his statues

 

Thoughts of Bhagat Singh is practice, not a statue

 

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

 

Bhagwant Mann has the unique distinction in India of being the first chief minister who has raised the slogan of Inquilab Zindabad at his swearing in in the living memory.

Now he has made the announcement to installed statue of Shaheed Bhagat Singh who raised this slogan in the premises of the Punjab Assembly complex. Inquilab Zindabad has been translated as Long Live the Revolution. This slogan is rooted in Marxist ideology of which Bhagat Singh was a student.

Mann also announced that statues of Dr B R Ambedkar and Maharaja Ranjit Singh too would be in that company.

Presently, the Assembly complex has a small bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the lobby. Ports of the leaders, of course, have been put up over time.

It is entirely different issue whether statues can be installed in Capitol Complex or not. Moreover, this complex now has the heritage status and thus no change can be made.

But laws and rules are man-made and can always be changed. Going by the bylaws governing this most modern city, statues can’t be installed at public places, and there is none so far.

But the issue here is not to debate the announcement in the context of these bylaws but the thought of Bhagat Singh and the functioning of this government.

The ideology of Bhagat Singh is ideology of protest.

Protests are not allowed in this City Beautiful for which an area has been earmarked. This was done to end ‘inconvenience’ to the residents of Chandigarh due to these protests.

No political party has protested against this decision that was taken more than a decade back.

One of the controversies relating to the revolutionary is regarding his picture and also statues. His most popular picture- there are just a few- is that of clean shaven Bhagat Singh wearing a hat that was clicked by a photographer in Kashmiri Gate, Delhi, when he escaped to Calcutta (Now Kolkata) from Lahore. He is wearing a white turban in another picture. He used to wear white turban, not yellow.

This controversy hit his statues too and his statue at Khatkar Kalan is that of a turbaned Bhagat Singh.

But even this is not the issue.

The issue is his revolutionary thought.

The original revolutionary was Guru Nanak.

The issue is that is putting the revolutionary humanistic thought into practice.

It is to be mentioned here that the selection of five nominees to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab made by Mann’s Aam Aadmi Party does not reflect the revolutionary ideology.

This is why it is practice that is important and not his statues.

Punjab is both emotional as well as aspirational state.

These two factors have played a major role in catapulting AAP to the seat of power in this sensitive state with a massive mandate but nor unprecedented. People of Punjab had reduced the Congress to just 14 seats in 1997.

Mann has started on a positive note.

A new government can’t be judged within a week or even a month. Certain political decisions can definitely be assessed.

This government would present its full budget in June  and its direction would be known only after that.

Punjab needs long term policies for empowerment of economy and its enterprising people.

The challenge is to dismantle the mafias.

As Mann raised Inquilab Zindabad slogan at his swearing in, the first budget of his government has to reflect pro-people content of the thought of the revolutionary.

His statue in Assembly won’t inspire the people. It is his writings that are that source.

The problem is that the ruling classes are scared of his ideology.

No government in Punjab has introduced the works of Shaheed Bhagat Singh in schools or colleges.

A beginning should now be made in this direction.