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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