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Mann government enters into avoidable confrontation in Sikh domain with appointment of new AG

 



 Mann government enters into avoidable confrontation in Sikh domain with  appointment of new AG

 

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

 

Like the nomination of candidates for Rajya Sabha from Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab has entered into yet another controversy that is confrontation with the Sikh religio-political discourse, the highly volatile domain that has been dictating the politics of this states over the years. This was avoidable.

The latest trigger that has the potential to spark this domain is the announcement by chief minister Bhagwant Mann to appoint Vinod Ghai as the new advocate general following sudden resignation by Anmol Rattan Sidhu.

Apparently there seems to be nothing wrong with Ghai so far as professionalism is concerned but the issue in this case is his background that is concerned with the  Sikh religio-political domain.

It is a different issue that here is the government that  within less than five months has shifted the chief secretary and the director general of police and the state would also have a new advocate general.

The main issue that has been dominating the political matrix of Punjab since 2015 is the one that is known as the Bargari sacrilege cases that also includes police firing on Sikh protesters at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan. In power in 2015 was the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance government headed by Parkash Singh Badal with his son and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal as the home minister.

Ghai has been representing the Bargari accused  that include Dera Sacha Sauda and former police chief Sumedh Singh Saini.

Earlier, APS Deol who was the choice of Congress chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi close to the Assembly elections, had to be replaced under similar circumstances as he had been representing Saini.

It may be recalled here that the Bir of Guru Granth Sahib (Guru incarnate for the Sikhs), in first ever such incident, was stolen from a gurdwara from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village in Faridkot district in Malwa heartland on June 1, 2015 and its pages were found scattered on the streets of the adjoining Bargari village on the morning of October 12. Earlier,  abusive posters were found pasted on the wall in Bargari and  Burj in the name of Dera Sacha Sauda claiming theft of Guru Granth Sahib. A few days before these incidents at Bargari, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had summoned top Sikh clergy at his official residence in Chandigarh in violation of the Sikh norms to manage exoneration of Dera Sauda chief Ram Rahim of blasphemy charge in case relating to 2007 following which directive had been issued from Akal Takht to boycott Dera Sacha Sauda.

This Dera located in Sirsa in Haryana was perceived to have sizeable following in a number of seats in the Malwa belt of Punjab.

In the firing on Sikh devotees demanding justice, two protesters were killed at Behbal Kalan on October 14. Earlier, the police had used force to disperse protesters early in the morning at Kotkapura. The police action at Behbal Kalan could have been avoided after the police mismanaged the situation at Kotkapura had the chief minister advised restraint.

The Badal government and the Akali Dal came into confrontation with the Sikh domain and there is no change in the situation till this day. This entire narrative has some earlier developments too including the withdrawal of case against Dera chief by the police just five days before the Assembly election in February 2012.

The Congress had come to power in 2017 promising action and justice in Bargari related cases but chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh despite instituting judicial commission followed by SIT probe failed to deliver. He was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi close to the election but that too failed to assuage the Sikhs.

Bargari reduced Akali Dal to lowest ever three seats with the Congress as the main opposition.

The mood of the people in Punjab is already changing as reflected in the Sangrur Lok Sabha byelection. This was the seat vacated by Bhagwant Mann after his election to Assembly.

The ruling parties are always known to be slow learners and start taking people for guaranteed.

The Mann government has now taken a major risk with this appointment.

Under discussion here are not the circumstances that forced Sidhu to submit his resignation within weeks.

It is the political dimension that is important in the context of the Sikh domain.

Various Sikh bodies including the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, the Haryana gurdwara panel and the Bargari morcha leaders reacted strongly as the news appeared of Ghai being the next advocate general. The SGPC joined the chorus against this move last evening. The Akali Dal too today evening came out with a statement but in a different context. The statement stated that the “appointment of Ghai as Punjab AG has also exposed as to which political powers were behind the deep conspiracy behind the sacrilege events to defame the then Akali government headed by Sardar Parkash Singh Badal”. The Akali Dal has tried to absolve itself with this statement.

Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh  has been calling for the revival of the Panthic agenda and Panthic unity.

Justice for Bargari is the main Panthic agenda.

The Akali Dal leadership  should recall as to how the struggle by the Sikhs to get justice was confronted even at the political level by the Akali, not only before 2017 but also in 2018 when the Bargari Morcha was launched.

That there is little chance in these cases arriving at logical conclusion in near future was evident when a delegation including Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan met the Bargari morcha leaders last week seeking another six months for the same. Sandhwan has been strongly taking up these cases before AAP coming into power.

AAP leaders should recall promises made before Assembly polls.

 

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