Ironic that photos of both Sant Longowal who committed to complete SYL canal and Jattana who stopped it are now in same Golden Temple museum
Ironically,
photos of both Sant Longowal and Jattana in same Golden Temple museum
Ground Zero
Jagtar Singh
The Sikh
religio-political domain at times throws up sharp contradictions.
Here is the
latest one.
This paradox
has come up with the installation of portrait of Babbar Khalsa activist
Balwinder Singh Jattana in the Central Sikh Museum in the Darbar Sahib (Golden
Temple) complex at Amritsar.
The contradiction
is that the same very Central Sikh Museum exhibits also include the portrait of
Sant Harchand Singh Longowal.
Jattana has
joined the gallery of heroes whose pictures have been displayed in this museum
for his action of stopping the construction of the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal,
the channel that was designed to what is called Haryana’s share in Punjab river
waters from the surplus Ravi and Beas rivers.
It is
pertinent to mention here that the Haryana area is the major region that is
irrigated by the Bhakra Canal system that takes off from Nangal hydel dam in
Punjab. The upstream Bhakra dam is in Himachal Pradesh.
Jattana and
his associates had gunned down SYL project chief engineer M. L. Sikri and
superintending engineer Avtar Singh Aulakh in the office on Madhya Marg in
Chandigarh. Aulakh happened to be in the room of the chief engineer at the time
of attack.
Not a brick
has been added to this canal since this action on July 23, 1990. The construction
was almost 90 per cent complete around that time.
The role of Sant
Longowal was in this project was diametrically opposite as he had made the
commitment for its very completion exactly five years ago.
The
completion of this canal was part of the settlement signed between Sant
Longowal and prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on July 24, 1985 that is known as the
Punjab Accord and was subsequently consigned to the dustbin of history.
Article 9(3)
of the Punjab Accord states: “The construction of the SYL Canal shall continue.
The canal shall be completed by August 13, 1986-87.”
Sant
Longowal was gunned down within days on August 20, 1985 after signing the
Accord on July 24, 1985. He was accompanids by Akali leaders Surjit Singh
Barnala and Balwant Singh. Both Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
president Gurcharan Singh Tohra and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal
did not go to Delhi with him, though for different reasons. Tohra was against entering
into any unconditional settlement with the Centre as the minimum condition that he pressed for was
release of Jodhpur detainees who had been arrested from the Golden Temple
complex during Operation Bluestar.
Badal did
not attend death anniversary function of Longowal for about nine years that is
organised at Longowal village.
The project
had been initiated after prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1976 announced her award
allocating share to Punjab and Haryana from surplus Ravi and Beas waters under
Punjab Re-organisation Act, 1966.
Section 78(1) of this Act states: “78. Rights and liabilities in regard to Bhakra-Nangal and
Beas Projects.
(1)
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act but subject to the
provisions of sections 79 and 80, all rights and liabilities of the existing
State of Punjab in relation to Bhakra- Nangal Project and Beas Project shall,
on the appointed day, be the rights and liabilities of the successor States in
such proportion as may be fixed, and subject to such adjustments as may be
made, by agreement entered into by the said States after consultation with the
Central Government or, if no such agreement is entered into within two years of
the appointed day, as the Central Government may by order determine having
regard to the purposes of the Projects: Provided that the order so made by the
Central Government may be varied by any subsequent agreement entered into by
the successor States after consultation with the Central Government.”
This contradiction is specific in the context of the SYL
Canal project as Jattana has been honoured for stopping the construction of this
canal. Here is another contradiction. The first notification for the
acquisition of the land for this canal was issued by Punjab government in February
1978 when the chief minister was Parkash Singh Badal.
And yet here is another contradiction.
The family of Balwainder Singh Jattana in Ropar district was
wiped out within hours of attack on then Chandigarh senior superintendent of
police Sumedh Singh Saini in 1991. He was a Punjab cadre officer on deputation
with Chandigarh administration at that time. The attack on the family was carried
out the group of Nihangs headed by Ajit Singh Poohla who was patronised Saini. Saini
was targeted by Khalistan Liberation Force and not the Babbar Khalsa to which
Jattana belonged.
Saini was elevated to the post of director general of police and
headed the Punjab Police under the Badal government during the 2012-17 term. He
was the DGP at the time of the Bargari sacrilege and Behbal firing on Sikh
protesters.
It is pertinent to mention here that the decision to install
photos in the Central Sikh Museum is taken by the SGPC. The SGPC is presently,
as usual over the years, is under the control of the Shiromani Akali Dal
presently headed by Sukhbir Singh Badal who had succeeded his father Parkash
Singh Badal.
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