Punjab Assembly polls 2017- Part XII (Implications of Sarbat Khalsa 2015)

I felt a bit upset when I found myself in a position of inability to attend one of the most important politico-religious events near my city. Thanks to internet that I registered my presence online and heard all the 13 resolutions passed loud and clear which are as follows:

ਅਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਨਜ਼ਦੀਕ ਪਿੰਡ ਚੱਬਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਰਬੱਤ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਗਿਣਤੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਕਤਰ ਹੋਈ ਸੰਗਤ ਦੀ ਹਾਜ਼ਰੀ ਵਿੱਚ 13 ਮਤੇ ਪਾਸ ਕੀਤੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ:
1-ਮੌਜੂਦਾ ਤਖਤਾਂ ਦੇ ਪੰਜਾਂ ਤਖਤਾਂ ਦੇ ਜਥੇਦਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਂਭੇ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(Four out of Five current Jathedars be removed.)

2-ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਦੇ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਜਗਤਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਹਵਾਰਾ ਨੂੰ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਰਜਕਾਰੀ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਧਿਆਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੰਡ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਅਮਰੀਕ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਜਨਾਲਾ ਤਖਤ ਕੇਸਗੜ੍ਹ ਅਤੇ ਬਲਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਦਾਦੂਦਾਲ ਨੂੰ ਦਮਦਮਾ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦਾ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਲਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(Jagtar Singh Hawara be apointed as Jathedar of Akal Takht and in his absence Dhian Singh Mand to be appointed the acting Jathedar. Amrik Singh Ajnala and Baljit Singh Daduwaal be appointed the jathedars of Kesgarh Sahib and Damdama Sahib.)

3-ਕੇ ਪੀ ਐਸ ਗਿੱਲ ਅਤੇ ਕੇ ਐਸ ਬਰਾੜ ਨੂੰ ਤਨਖਾਹੀਆ ਕਰਾਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਨਵੰਬਰ 20 ਤੱਕ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਤੇ ਪੇਸ਼ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਸਪਸ਼ਟੀਕਰਨ ਮੰਗਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(KPS Gill and KS Brar be declared "tankhaiyas" and must plead their clarification before Akal Takht before 20 Nov 2015)

4-ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੀ ਸਰਵਉਚਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂਸਤਾ ਨੂੰ ਬਣਾਈ ਰੱਖਣ ਲਈ ਦੇਸ਼ ਵਿਦੇਸ਼ ਦੇ ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਰਾਇ ਨਾਲ ਗੰਭੀਰ ਯਤਨ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਣ।
(Sikh diaspora must make sincere efforts to maintain the supremacy and sovereignty of Akal Takht Sahib. )

5-ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ ਤੋਂ ਤੋਂ ਫਖਰੇ ਕੌਮ, ਪੰਥ ਰਤਨ ਵਾਪਿਸ ਲਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਅਵਤਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੱਕੜ ਤੋਂ ਸ਼ਰੋਮਣੀ ਸੇਵਕ ਦਾ ਐਵਾਰਡ ਵਾਪਿਸ ਲਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(CM Parkash Singh Badal be scrapped of "Panth Rattan" and Avtar Singh Makkar be scrapped of "Shiromani Sewak" decorations.)

6-ਵਰਲਡ ਸਿੱਖ ਪਾਰਲੀਮੈਂਟ ਦਾ ਗਠਨ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਇਸ ਲਈ 30 ਨਵੰਬਰ ਤੱਕ ਖਰੜੇ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਸਾਂਝੀ ਕਮੇਟੀ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ।
(Global Sikh Parliament be formed and a committee to make for its arrangements be announced before 30 Nov 2015.)

7-ਸਮੂਹ ਸਗਤਾਂ, ਗੰ੍ਰਥੀ ਸਿੰਘਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਕਮੇਟੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੀ ਬੇਅਦਬੀ ਲਈ ਸੁਚੇਤ ਰਹਿਣ ਦਾ ਸੱਦਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਬੇਅਦਬੀ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਿਖੀ ਰਵਾਇਤਾਂ ਮੁਤਾਬਿਕ ਸਜ਼ਾਵਾਂ ਦੇਣ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(All the sikh diaspora be cautious about the sacrilege incidents of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and traitors be punished as per sikh tenants.)

8-ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਤਾਕੀਦ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਸਜ਼ਾ ਪੂਰੀ ਕਰ ਚੁੱਕੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਕੈਦੀ ਜੇਲ੍ਹਾਂ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਰਿਹਾਅ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਣ, ਸੂਰਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਦਾ ਜੇਕਰ ਕੋਈ ਨੁਕਸਾਨ ਹੋਇਆ ਤਾਂ ਇਸ ਦੇ ਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰੀ ਸਰਕਾਰਾਂ ਦੀ ਹੋਵੇਗੀ |
(Government be directed to release all sikh political prisoners and government will be responsible for the consequences in case of any harm to Surat Singh Khalsa.)

9-ਸ਼ਰੋਮਣੀ ਗੁਰਦਵਾਰਾ ਕਮੇਟੀ ਦੀ ਨਵੀਂ ਚੋਣ ਕਰਵਾਕੇ ਜਮਹੂਰੀਅਤ ਬਹਾਲ ਕਰਵਾਓਣ ਦਾ ਸੱ ਦਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(SGPC's re-election must be done in order to restore its democratic charater.)

10-ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੱਖਰੇ ਸਰਵ ਪ੍ਰਵਾਨਿਤ ਕੈਲੰਡਰ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਹੈ।
(Sikhs need their own calendar.)

11-ਹਰਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਨੂੰ ਵੈਟੀਕਨ ਸਿਟੀ ਦਾ ਦਰਜਾ ਮਿਲੇ ਅਤੇ ਦਰਬਾਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਸਮੂਹ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਮੁਲਕ ਦਾ ਕਾਨੂੰਨ ਲਾਗੂ ਨਾ ਹੋਵੇ।
(Vatican like status for Golden Temple Complex and no law of any country be applicable therein.)

12-ਇੱਕਠ 26 ਜਨਵਰੀ 1986 ਨੂੰ ਹੋਏ ਸਰਬਤ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਦੇ ਮਤਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਹਿਮਤੀ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ।
(Standing by all the resolutions passed in Sarbat Khalsa 1986)

13-ਜਾਤਾਂ ਤੇ ਅਧਾਰਿਤ ਗੁਰਦਵਾਰੇ ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਮਸ਼ਾਨਘਾਟ ਖਤਮ ਕਰਨ ਦੇ ਯਤਨ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਣ |
(Attempts be made to eliminate caste-based Gurudwaras and crematoriums.)

For more details visit: www.sarbatkhalsa2015.org

Though "Sarbat Khalsa" was held away from Golden Temple complex but it got a massive response. Even the mainstream media admits that the congregation crossed one lakh mark but as per social media sources the gathering was above 3 lakh people despite strong resistance from the administration.

Now coming to the resolutions I can bet that around 7-8 resolutions are so well thought-out and balanced that no intellectual in the world can dare to challenge them and even a non-sikh or a non-political or a non-religious person would show acceptance to them. But fact of the matter is that this congregation sent alarm bells to many factions of the society including SAD (Badal), Militant Hindu organizations etc. But the fact that needs to be highlighted here is that this gathering was only pro-sikh, it wasn't anti-Hindu, anti-Muslim, anti-Christian or any other community.

Now the main point of contention about the resolutions passed are their implementation at the panthic level and their acceptance by the common sikhs. The implementation of these resolutions would be done by sheer force that the radicals draw through their collectivity without any rational-legal authority e.g. The Jathedars appointed by Sarbat Khalsa can take charge only through sheer force and do not have any legal right to do it directly. On the other hand Jagtar Singh Hawara who has been accused of master-minding former CM Beant Singh's assassination is behind bars. The worst victim of these orthodox resolutions are likely to be Indian sikhs. Because those who seek Khalistan know that the unrest that would be created at ground zero won't effect them in any way if they're sitting in their cosy abodes somewhere in USA, UK, Canada or Australia. Rather I have a deal for them, if they can be flexible about choosing the venue of Sarbat Khalsa, they can show similar flexibility in carving out the territory of their Homeland Khalsitan.

As an Indian sikh, I do not want Punjab or India to be the center of Khalistani political activism and cannot afford to make it the center of blood-shed and massacre. NRI sikhs are more than welcome to make their countries as the center of Khalistani activities but they're not likely to do so because they don't want to spoil their tags of being responsible Americans or Canadians but any sikh who is a patriotic Indian itches them so much in their eyes. What is wrong if they choose the state of Alaska as territory of Khalistan and start a struggle against the American government for realizing their dream homeland and leave alone India and Pakistan to carve out erstwhile Punjab and label it as "Khalistan". Another issue that is worth raising here is that if Sikhs are considered to be a community without borders, scattered across the globe, co-existing with the majority communities of different countries then why is it that Sikhs settled in Christian countries can openly celebrate Christmas with pride, Sikhs settled in Islamic countries can celebrate Eid with zest and enthusiasm but when it comes to sikhs settled in India celebrating Navratras, Dushehra or Shiv Raatri, it's a cause of huge-huge concern for the sikh radicals and they feel threatened to be culturally assimilated by Hindus, the majority community of India.

With utmost respect to the sikh tenants and the resolutions passed at Sarbat Kahalsa, I feel that the peace and harmony of Punjab is under threat not directly by sikh radicals only but by those mischievous elements who know when to capitalize on the situations for their personal gains. They may or may not be a part of the government. There isn't much difference between people running the government and people like Jagtar Singh Hawara as the former use the tool of assassination secretly for personal gains but the latter used it openly for a bigger community cause. Unfortunately, in this battle of elephants, common people like us are like those insects crawling on the ground who may or may not get crushed depending on their luck and whatever happens in the politico-religious space, we just have one tool called "Adjustment/ Adaptation" to deal with it.

Now looking at the larger picture of Nationalism, I want to ask all those war veterans fighting for One Rank One Pension (OROP), what has patriotism and spirit of sacrifice for your country paid you back with ?? I also want to send a clear-cut message to the grand old political party which has emerged as the biggest situational beneficiary of the Bihar polls, "Indians have not forgotten 2G spectrum and Coal scams." Political crisis in Punjab doesn't mean that if Punjabis want to get rid of Badals, they'll have to resort to Congress in 2017. Bihar poll results have brought a landmark end to the personality-politics in the country and Congress would require much more than Captain's dynamic personality to win over Punjab in 2017.

I personally feel that AAP needs to find a right alliance partner to address panthic issues, it must consider PPP, SAD (Amritsar/ United/ 1920/ Panch Pardhani) for the same and keep its options open.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017- Part XI

At a time when the political atmosphere in the state is in turmoil, any attempt to soothe Punjabis for their anger results in more unrest and acts as salt over their wounds. In the tenth article of this series, I threw light on the farmer unrest and the Dera Chief’s pardon row, and now in the sequel it is apt to discuss about the aftermaths of the same. There is no denying the fact that religion of the majority community of the state i.e. Sikhism has acquired center-stage in today’s political landscape of the state especially after the desecration incidents of the holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib on multiple occasions. Two youths have lost their lives in the aftermath as a clash erupted between the police and the sikh protesters in Kotkapura. On the other hand, “Panj Piaras”- the five beloveds have summoned all the Jathedars of the five takhts for pardoning the Dera Chief- Gurmeet Ram Rahim. I believe that it is a very bold decision but the timing of this decision isn’t right. The decision of summoning the Jathedars would’ve been much more meaningful before they took a U-turn on the pardon row. It was only after the sikh high priests cancelled their pardon, the five beloveds summoned the high priests and paid the consequences.

The five beloveds who are actually the paid employees of SGPC and are playing a symbolic role of the five real beloveds i.e. Bhai Daya Singh ji, Dharam Singh ji, Himmat Singh ji, Mohkam Singh ji and Sahib Singh ji. It wasn’t of much surprise to see the five beloveds suspended and then reinstated again by the SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar. This whole episode actually seems to be a pre-planned drama to exhibit the superiority of the rational-legal autority over the traditional/ charismatic authority. And this is the fact that we sikhs mustn’t deny. Sikhism has lost its traditional glory in the era of modernization where the rational legal authority is considered above the traditional or the charismatic authority and similarly the professional elites have replaced the traditional/ religious elites. It’s not that I’m putting forward only theoretical concepts but a practical example to substantiate my argument is the 1984 incident which resulted in the demolition of Sri Akal Takht sahib. I feel more than disturbed to share this photo:

Let us stop living in denial as Sikhs and as Indians because this photo proves that the power and glory of Sri Akal Takht sahib was overshadowed by the Indian Army on the orders of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Though PM is the second highest constitutional office of the country which is below the President who is the supreme commander of the Indian Armed forces. The incumbent President at that time Giani Zail Singh couldn’t do anything as the President is more of a symbolic head of the state in India and the real power lie with the PM and his cabinet. My point here is that deadly force was used on the behest of the constitutional authorities of the country from being overshadowed by a traditional politico-religious institution. I have always advocated that Akal Takhat should be treated as an extra-constitutional authority as the successors of the same Congress government have set an example by introducing  the concept of UPA-chairperson who very well exercised her extra-constitutional authority over the Prime Minister of India for 10 years.

Well I think the need of the hour is to bring forward those sikh leaders who not only practice sikh ideals in their life but are also aware of the intricacies of the Indian polity and have a global vision. Only such leaders can counter the rampant “panthic-crisis” in the state. The entire politico-religious turmoil is definitely complicating things for the the novice party that is looking forward to enter the poll arena in 2017 but I believe that a hypothetical alliance or an alliance of situational benefit can prove to be fruitful for AAP if it collaborates with some panthic party that hasn’t established much base in the state assembly or the local governments (like municipal corporations, Zila parishads, Panchayats etc.). Parties like SAD (Amritsar), SAD (United) or SAD (Panch Pardhani) may have a meager presence in the SGPC (considered to be the Mini-sikh-Parliament) but in order to make their voice heard even at the panthic level, they need to strengthen their presence in the mainstream government institutions. As I mentioned in my article Current Sikh Politics, it is natural for SGPC to act as a second fiddle to the most influential political parties in the region and its loyalty will automatically gets gravitated towards the mainstream political party in the region except Congress even if it comes to power as it has a bad reputation with the radical sikh outfits. SGPC’s lack of autonomy and government-dependence increases when the lucrative benefits like police protection, red beacons, pilot gypsies and Z+ security covers are extended to the Jathedars and Office-bearers of SGPC. These benefits are immaterial for religious leaders who don’t have any genuine threat assessment.

Coming back to the hypothetical alliance, it is worth doing a comparative analysis of the two personalities who have successfully cracked UPSC Civil services, acquired high ranks in bureaucracy and then given it up to join mainstream politics. One is the incumbent Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who in considered to play a decisive role in the upcoming polls. The other one is an aged sikh leader Simranjit Singh Mann who was an IPS officer until June 1984 and resigned from Indian Police Services as a mark of protests for the demolition Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. Many sikhs resigned from elite services at the time to protest against the demolition of the Takht but Simranjit Singh Mann’s name stands out because he has wholely-solely dedicated his life to the panthic cause ever since. He has also created some fuss in the politico-religious space of the state out of his proximity and family ties with the former CM of the state Capt. Amrinder Singh. He can create a place in the mainstream politics of Punjab if he softens his stand on the separatist ideology. Unlike the media-friendly Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal who are comfortable with the limelight and are interested in forming the government in the state, Simranjit Singh Mann is currently an inert geek who prefers to keep a low profile and is feared by many political honchos of the state as his ways aren’t much pro-government. Mann is also a 2-time MP from Tarn Taran and Sangrur in 1989 and 1999 respectively.

Though the current Badal government has been taking some hard decisions recently, like removal of the Badal-loyalist Saini as the DGP of the state, as a face-saving exercise, it'll be interesting to see Punjab government's take on "Sarbat Khalsa" as SGPC has denied the interested "Jathebandis" on holding it in the Golden Temple complex. I'm sure that Badal government will try its best to look pro-panthic before the Sikh congregation and could take some more hard decisions and could go to the extent of demanding the resignation of the SGPC President, another Badal loyalist. It'll be interesting to watch the turn of events in the near future.

Current SIKH politics

With the announcement of the date of "Sarbat Khalsa" i.e. Nov 10, 2015, there are mixed responses of excitement, anxiety, nervousness and tension in the state. The current Sikh leadership is clearly divided in two factions i.e. "in-the-government" and "not-in-the-government", and government here means Punjab government. There is no denying that Sikhism and Khalsa-hood is no longer a phenomenon restricted to Punjab, people need to have clear view of the fact that running the government in this part of the world isn't a child's play. Even if some sikh has acquired an executive rank in the govt. i.e. IAS/ IPS/ PCS, he/ she can prove to be of indispensable value to the community, and those who acquire ministerial offices somehow emerge as Global faces of the community, Punjab being the place of its origin. Moreover, I don't see any non-Punjabi or NRI individual or organization who can assert itself over Punjabi Ministers and dictate terms to them for day to day working of the sikh shrines in India/ Punjab.

Though I'm not affiliated to any political party, all the parties and "Jathebandis" need to introspect on the fact that how much say/ presence they have in the Punjab government. They simply need to introspect that how many Ministers, MP's, MLA's and Councillors, they have and then make a move for the Sarbat Khalsa. The importance and agenda for the same needs to be redefined as the outrage after Dera Chief's pardon was made the basic issue for calling upon the convention. If this were the case the call for the Sarbat Khalsa holds no value after Akal Takht's U-turn on the pardon row.

Of course, the integrity of the SGPC is being challenged here but the premier sikh body too needs to free its loyalty from the government control. With the nature of work that SGPC does it is natural that its loyalty gets gravitated towards the most influential party in the region but then it narrows down the perspective of Sikhism and Khalsahood and confines it to Punjab only.

As an author it seems very easy for me to question the integrity of various political parties or "Jathe-bandis" who are interested to have a say in the sikh politics but I simply need to send across a message to all the Indian or Non- Indian sikh outfits who are looking forward to take part in "Sarbat Khalsa" convention to maintain the sanctity of the institution where sikh politics is rooted.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part X

It is the perfect time to shoot an article where Punjab polity is burning with both left-wing and right-wing issues. The left-wing issue being the crisis situation being faced by the farmers of the Malwa region after the white-fly attack on the cotton crop which has resulted in the destruction of the crop spread over lakhs of acres of farms. And the right-wing issue being the "Pardon row" of the Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the case of his impersonation like the revered Guru Gobind Singh ji in 2007. Though both these issues have gained tremendous mileage in the political space but at the ground level the farmer issue is gaining more ground and economics definitely is overpowering religion as far as local politics is concerned.

Though the incumbent Jathedars of Takhts and the SGPC office-bearers are trying their best to project that it was a unanimous decision of the entire community, there are many radical sikh outfits who have openly shown their resentment towards this decision following which they announced "Sarbat Khalsa" to be held this Diwali and called for a state-wide "Bandh" on 30 Sept 2015. The "Bandh" got a lukewarm response as majority of the establishments remained open on the day which indicates that the government machinery i.e. the police and the paramilitary forces will be used to the fullest extent to curb the "Sarbat Khalsa" event to be held this Diwali and it will be reduced to a ceremonial event without having much substantial value and the resolutions passed may not much effect the political landscape of the sikh-community in Punjab.

On the other hand, the farmers are on a spree for demanding the compensation for the losses they've incurred out of the white-fly attack. Majority of them are demanding as much as 40,000- 80,000 INR per acre for the same and are not ready to settle for anything less. They're holding Dharnas, blocking highways and rail tracks and shooing away many politicians from the venues of their agitations. They simply want monetary compensation for their losses and not promises. They've even roughed up many intellectuals like the Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University who tried to address their issues. They are deeply enraged by the government moves as some of them have got cheques amounting to 150 - 200 INR against their humongous demand of 40,000 INR  per acre. This has made them feel more humiliated and they are intensifying their protests further.

Also from a broader perspective there are many strong opinions floating for the current trend of personality politics in India. Buzz is that in this era where personality politics has acquired center-stage across the country, Punjab is likely to witness a Captain-wave in 2017 Assembly elections just like India witnessed Modi-wave in 2014 Parliamentary elections.

On one hand Modi enjoys being the undisputed or unprecedented show-stopper of Indian politics where he asserts the power of the office he is holding over the states and woos the crowd with his charisma. This trend was best visible in Bihar when he made a visit to Bihar prior to the assembly elections and announced a package of 1.25 lakh crore INR for the state. This has dramatically improved BJP's (or NDA's) chances in sweeping away the Bihar assembly. A similar package for Punjab which is already crying foul for money could bring back SAD-BJP alliance back in power with a bigger share of BJP this time.  I believe only one man stands between SAD-BJP and their victory in 2017 Assembly elections and that is Captain Amrinder Singh, the former CM of Punjab who is equipped with the acumen to address both the left-wing and the right-wing issues of the state. Even if AAP promises corruption-free environment and good governance in the state, it cannot give what Punjab instantly needs i..e. Money in the form of relief packages, which only Modi can provide having control over the funds of the central government.

Now this is where serious Blogging and political analysis begins as the 2017 polls approach nearer.

Punjab Assembly Polls 2017 - Part IX

A new article popped up in today's newspaper that is worth sharing and reflects the innumerable possibilities that can be anticipated for the upcoming polls. "Factionalism" within the political parties has acquired center stage in the pre-poll debacle to an extent that AAP has drastically reduced its scope for forming the next government in the state and Congress opening a new plethora of possibilities that shapes up the destiny of the state. The Captain-Bajwa clash has brought forward some shocking revelations.

In the race of being projected as the Chief Ministerial candidate by the party, these two leaders have come to the verge of giving a completely different angle to Punjab politics. Capt Amrinder Singh has the support of 30 out of 43 Congress MLA's who want him to lead the party in the upcoming polls whereas Bajwa claims that the number will be reduced to 20 as Captain is looking forward to break-away from Congress and launch his own new party named as PVP (Punjab Vikas Party). Bajwa can't be considered anywhere below when he makes an alarming prophecy about the 2017 elections outcome by saying, "After Bihar poll results which pollsters say BJP will win, Captain will form his PVP. BJP will split from Akalis. Captain will then pullback some legislators that he has loaned to Akalis, bringing Akalis in minority in the state assembly. The BJP will then impose President's rule in Punjab, rule by proxy until October next before declaring elections."

Bajwa's prophecy though has not been acknowledged by Captain or any other bigwigs of Punjab politics but it gave me goose bumps. It  made me nervous and worried on one hand but also hopeful on the other hand. But one thing Bajwa didn't realize before saying it was the AAP factor which is missing in Bihar Assembly polls and is a very prominent factor in Punjab Assembly polls. Also their back-end campaign of tying up with other parties to restrain AAP from forming the next government became more clear to me when the moderator of his FB page added me as a member to the FB group called "Punjab against AAP" where workers of different parties have joined hands against AAP.

On the other hand if we consider the possibility of Captain breaking away from Congress and forming PVP, then that would seem a more viable option than AAP in the interest of Punjab because at this juncture AAP seems too naive to govern Punjab as it is the state with one of the most complicated polities in the country and it shouldn't be left in the hands of novice leaders for governance. It is very certain that Captain will get the support of 20+ congress MLA's if he breaks away but still reaching that magical figure of 59 won't be possible for him alone. It will be possible only if some established leaders from other political parties breakaway from their own parties and join hands with him and also the freshly recruited AAP leaders having the potential to fetch seats breakaway and join him. My gut feeling says that if at all PVP comes into existence, the first two leaders to break away from BJP and join him would be the Sidhu Couple out of their family ties they share with Captain and more importantly out of the alleged humiliation and harassment they have faced from the SAD-BJP alliance.

Now that would be an interesting turnaround in Punjab politics as this couple can not only provide the star power and charisma to any party that they associate themselves with but they can also ensure institutional loyalty and youth power and can actually sweep a chunk of youth vote bank that has a vital role to play in the upcoming polls. Another possibility that can be adopted by the SAD to counter them would be to project Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a female leader, a national figure by virtue of her being the Union Cabinet Minister also the daughter-in-law of the Badal clan, as the Chief Ministerial candidate but that would violate the patriarchal structure of SAD and could hurt the "Alpha-male" images of Sukhbir and Majithia. Hence, SAD has the possibility of seeing a white-wash in 2017 if they don't do anything extraordinary.

I promise to keep pouring in more articles on the subject with the hope that they're touching people's lives and making a positive difference in the political space of my home state.

Punjab Assembly Polls 2017 - Part VIII (Baahu-bali culture and the underworld)

This is a perspective that most of the intellectuals and policy makers try to look over but the role of muscle power is indispensable and inseparable from any political elections in India. In other north Indian states like Bihar, UP, Jharkhand etc. "Baahu-bali" is a term which is commonly used for muscle men who are not only bullies or goons themselves but they are backed by a huge army of musle-men who are always ready to man-handle any situation or person that comes in the way of their personal or political ambitions. Though there is no such official designation as "Baahu-bali" in Punjab or any other state but these Baahubalis have strongly emerged as the extra-constitutional authorities by virtue of their musle-power. These muscle-men do not only have a huge number of supporters but also a bulk of arms and and ammunition that they procure by fair and false means.

Call it a paradox of our democracy or the height of misfortune of our country that these Baahubalis are highly respected and feared by not only the common man but also top-notch government officials, capitalists and celebrities. In some parts of India, the extent of their power has gone upto the extent of entering a bureaucrat's office without his permission and man-handling him. Now as we move ahead with this article I will quote some of the most notorious muscle men and underworld dons of Punjab who have been made news in the recent past.

Jaggu Bhagwanpuria recently nabbed by Punjab police has been dodging the police department for a very long time. In his late 20's, this young man who has chosen the wrong way is considered to be one of the most dangerous criminals of the underworld in the state. Though denying the presence of any underworld or illegal trafficking in Punjab would be like living in denial. Some of the insiders even claim that he enjoys the patronage of the Akali Minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia, though the charges have not been proven and the evidence is yet to enter the public domain.

Another notorious case that shook the whole state was the brutal murder of the Gangster Sukha Kahlon. Few months back, after he was arrested, his rival gangsters intercepted the police lorry in which he was being taken for the judicial remand and fired more than 60 rounds at him and left his corpse beyond recognition. This act of terror put a huge question mark on the Home Ministry of the state held by the Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal about the deteriorating law & order situation in the state.

Though both these young gangsters have proven the huge impact of the underworld on Punjab, none of them can be called as "Baahu-balis" as Jaggu's arrest isn't considered to have effected his patron minister much, neither Sukha Kahlon's death is considered as a political assassination as it was an outcome of the gang-war. Ministers have many gangsters like them at their disposal any time. But there are some muscle-men who have been in the mainstream politics and are very much open with their political affiliations. Such muscle men have a public persona which somehow out-weighs their illegal actions and establishments. Though I'm not trying to glorify gangsters or muscle-men in any way but I'm only trying to highlight the facts.

Muscle-men also have their area of influence. Some of them are famous only in a locality or a city. e.g. there are many muscle men in my area who have a suffix "pehalwan" with their names and they are proud to be called as an XYZ pehelwan like Shoki pehalwan, Nindi pehalwan etc are the famous pehalwans of my area who are affiliated to Congress. Another famous Pehalwan of my city, Amritsar is Gurdeep Pehalwan:

Gurdeep Pehalwan is a Congress loyalist and can be given due credit for Capt. Amrinder Singh's victory over Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha elections 2014. Jaggu's arch rival and his supporters have been threatened by Jaagu and his gang-members on various occasions. He took a breath of relief with Jaggu's arrest. How do I know all this ?? Their rivalry made news on multiple occasions and many local newspapers covered it up including Amritsar Tribune.

Now the person I'm about to mention has somehow achieved the status of a "Baahu-bali" as his persona has transcended the power of many office-bearers who are holding high constitutional offices like Ministries in the state governments. Kanwar Pehalwan is an entrepreneur, businessman, leader, musle-man, philanthropist etc etc.

Though I haven't researched much on Kanwar Pehalwan, he is considered as one of the most powerful muscle man of North India who is also considered to have links with Dawood Ibrahim and has a network scattered across the country. People like him defy all the theoretical definitions of "Power-elites" of "Economic-elites". Some photos of him which are present in the Google search results make you imagine the extent of his power.

3 Akali Ministers i.e. Dhindsa, Majithia and Ranike can be seen standing on his sides and projecting him as a central figure of the event. It is worth mentioning of another famous "Bijli Pehalwan" of Amritsar who has a very famous temple and an "Akhara" (wrestling arena) constructed in the most posh Lawrence Road area of the city. "Bijli Pehalwan" was considered as one of the greatest political muscle men in the yester-years and was considered as a close aide to the then Prime Minister of the country Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Though Bijli Pehalwan is no more and his fourth or fifth generation is living a highly luxurious life as they are considered among the economic elites of the city. Though none of his descendants have become wrestlers or pehalwans but majority of them have resorted to entrepreneurship following the inheritance of the huge fortune that Bijli pehalwan provided them with.

Now, I'm sure that after reading this article many of the youngsters may find it very alluring to become gangsters or "Baahu-balis" and aspire to add a suffix like "pehalwan" to their names. In fact, I too find it tempting to add pehalwan to my name and become "Harman Pehalwan" or "Punnu Pehalwan" but that is not what I choose to be nor I can afford to make such a choice. Because life is not all about money or muscle power. I think my purpose is different, hence I need to make different choices but yes.... 

The satisfaction of highlighting some unsaid phenomenons that govern the Punjab polity stays with me and verbalizing them in an appropriate way seems really satisfying and fulfilling.

Punjab Assembly Polls 2017 - Part VII (The Global Effect)

Something that empowers me to write this seventh article in series on the subject, is the recent report of the religious census which has shown alarming results for minority communities.

Though these figures are not specific to the state, Punjab's statistics are (from The Tribune):

Total Population: 2,77,43,338

Sikhs: 1,60,04,754

Hindus: 1,06,78,138

Muslims: 5,35,489

Christians: 3,48,230

Now, it's not that I want to create my own subjective reality using these figures. Some genuine opinions are floating around, about the decline in %age of the sikh population in the state and the country. The main reason that the majority of the analysts are citing for the same is the immigration to other countries. Though it's not a hidden reality that Sikhism and Punjabiyat became global phenomenon long time ago as it's been more than a century ago that Punjabis and sikhs have been migrating to countries like USA, Canada, England, Australia etc. and some of the migrants might be reaching their 4th or 5th generation.

Every political party targets to garner the majority community vote-bank in any elections and in this case it is definitely the sikh vote bank that holds maximum importance. Though the parties would even get to the level of fielding the candidates based on their castes to mobilize the masses in their favor and there's no denying the fact about the existing and operating caste system in the sikh community which I have touched in my article "Caste System in Sikh Community", the link to it is 

http://mysikhism.blogspot.in/2015/04/caste-system-in-sikhcommunity-it-would.html 

Though my current article is not centered around any particular community but there's a general notion that can be felt and clearly observed w.r.t. the sikh community. Sikhs generally have a notion that Canada, US, UK are much more livable countries for sikhs where Canada tops the chart wherein states like Vancouver is called "Mini-Punjab" and the state of "British Columbia" has Punjabi as the second official language. Some religious hardliners even go onto saying that Canada is a safe-haven for the sikh identity because it's a cosmopolitan country to its core unlike India where pseudo-secularism prevails under the hegemonic Hindutva framework and the sikh identity is under constant threat of cultural assimilation and even physical extermination. Their arguments sometimes look justified if we read the Article 25 of the Constitution which states that:

Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion
(1) Subject to public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of this Part, all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion
(2) Nothing in this article shall affect the operation of any existing law or prevent the State from making any law
(a) regulating or restricting any economic, financial, political or other secular activity which may be associated with religious practice;
(b) providing for social welfare and reform or the throwing open of Hindu religious institutions of a public character to all classes and sections of Hindus (Explanation I) The wearing and carrying of kirpans shall be deemed to be included in the profession of the Sikh religion (Explanation II) In sub clause (b) of clause reference to Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religion, and the reference to Hindu religious institutions shall be construed accordingly

 Now, Punjabis settled in any part of the world always have a vested interest in the govt.-formation in their state back home. Some of them have their property disputes, some have their pending court cases, some even look for investment opportunities in their home-state. Now looking beyond the interests of entrepreneurs and capitalists, some NRI's have their parents, kith and kin settled back here and those who're emotionally attached to their roots often look back for a home-coming after spending a decade or two abroad and making money which suffices their needs. Such NRI's who come back to get settled here often seek political affiliations to enjoy higher status in the society or even to pursue their vested interests and take favor from government departments. Hence, the need for the leaders having a global outlook becomes utmost important even at the level of the state.

The problem with the incumbent govt. is that they have a trust deficit not just with the Punjabis living in India but also abroad. This can be justified with another social media source which shows that the Canadian Sikhs made a ruckus at the rally of some Akali ministers who tried to hold a rally in Canada. Though this video doesn't show anything substantial but it shows that NRI's showed their absolute non-acceptance for the Punjabi Ministers and thoroughly protested their arrival over there which forced the ministers to leave the venue to avoid any untoward incident:

Now after watching this video, it becomes very hard to decide on your ambitions to move abroad because this video makes sure that if u've climbed up the stratification ladder in India and enjoyed vertical mobility by acquiring an elite office like that of a Minister, you'll be treated as a public figure even in the countries that claim to have an egalitarian and a cosmopolitan culture. On the other hand I want to ask those Canadians to swear in the name of God and tell that is it just the "Panthic Agenda" or "Community agenda" which drives them to stay connected to the government back home and they have no property disputes, pending court cases or other personal issues which are impossible to resolve without government intervention.

I simply do not want to think like an escapist who plans to run away from the country if the current system is not favoring me, but I believe in staying right here and act under my capacity to make the system favorable for myself. We should be clear about the fact that life is not a bed of roses in the west nor money grows on trees over there. Ultimately what matters is that which country is yours and how much you love it.

On the other hand if I take a dig at the politicians of Punjab, I don't see any face who can portray the true picture of Punjab at the national as well as the global front. SAD claims the Punjab Reorganization Act of 1966 was an achievement taking into account the security of the linguistic heritage of Gurmukhi but some analysts claim that the "Punjabi Suba" movement ultimately sufficed to the vested interests of a few Akali leaders who laid the foundation for their dynasties to rule the state and was a complete failure to preserve the true heritage of Punjab which shrunk to only 12% of its actual size after the reorganization.

The destruction of Punjab hasn't stopped, since then. 1947, 1966, 1984, 1987, till date Punjab continues to get a fatal blow from the insiders. If we cannot avert the damage, we can at least minimize it by caring for it.

Punjab Assembly Polls 2017 - Part VI (Local Case Study)

I think the time is absolutely right to connect my real life politics with my passion for blogging. This is the 6th article in my series where I want to include a local case study in my thesis on the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls. The purpose of choosing this topic is that I can draw a clear-cut picture of the state-of-affairs and its ripple effects. Some people will get astonished with the fact that an issue of such a small stature can be viewed with the frame of reference of state or even national politics.

I live in Basant Nagar area of Amritsar which has around 600 families residing in it. Though this area is scattered over several acres and has approximately 4-5 streets  and a beautiful park which is in the proximity of almost every resident. This park used to be a garbage dump almost 20 years back and has been rehabilitated and destroyed from time to time, sometimes by the government and sometimes by the residents.

Now the present state of this park has been out of an unsaid "PPP" i.e. Public-Private Partnership agreement. There has been some sort of help from the govt. and the residents are bearing the monthly cost of maintenance of the park. At one corner of the park is temple which is an illegal construction as per the municipal corporation norms. Though the history of this temple is very interesting in a sense that, almost 2 decades back when there used to be a garbage dump in the park, some residents made a small sacred chamber here with the photos of demigods and goddesses in it, so that people refrain from dumping the garbage in it. 

Though the Basant Nagar demography is very much like the Indian demography with Hindu majority, the person who took initiative for constructing this temple was a sikh. Then around 9 years back there was complete "Hindu-Sikh" riot like situation in the area for renovation and extension of the temple into a full fledged religious construction that it is today. Now this area, though located in Amritsar which is known as the hub of Sikhism, has over 80% Hindu population and around 20% sikh population. It doesn't have any Mohammedan, Christian, Jain or Buddhist family settled in it as per my knowledge.

The issue that is resonating the area these days is of a "Jaagran" that is scheduled to be held in Basant Nagar area where many Hindu fundamentalists are residing.

These Hindu fundamentalists want to organize the "Jaagran" in the park and using the "Jaagran" as a religious tool, they want to capture the space of the park and use it for their ulterior motives. They want to destroy the park and make this place as a full-fledged community center where they can organize their social gatherings like- marriage and other functions. Hence their destructive and malicious intentions are very clear from this initiative. Though there are many educated and liberal Hindus against this move and fully support the idea of not organizing any sort of religious or social function in the park.

Now if we look at ripple effects of this seemingly small issue, they're immense in real life. The "Basant Nagar Residents Welfare Association" has already shot-off official letters stating the anticipated communal tension in the area to the MLA of the constituency (also the Cabinet Minister), A very prominent Akali leader of the state (off the record), Councillor of this ward, Commissioner of Police Amritsar, Sub-Divisional Officer and Station House Officer of the related police station but these Hindu fundamentalists are not ready to back-off from their stand and expecting some financial compensation for their retreat. Now, whatever be the outcome of this issue, we need to look at larger picture of this scenario.

There is no doubting the fact that as soon as Modi came to power, radical Hindu outfits like RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal got emboldened to assert their will in the political space. Punjab is a state where these outfits are very active and some analysts even say that RSS clearly dictates terms to SAD as SAD also needs Hindu votes. The local case study that I've mentioned hasn't got much political mileage yet because the intentions and the outcomes of political intervention can be well-predicted as no political party would like to let go off the majority community vote-bank and take a rational and an unbiased stand. Another social-media source that is worth sharing here is a youtube video of Arundhati Roy and I strongly recommend the readers to watch it:

Now this video would give any civilized person some goose-bumps and the sense of insecurity is bound to get inculcated in all the minority communities. Now many readers may not be aware of the fact that constitutionally, all the minority communities of India except Muslims and Christians are recognized as Hindus, be it Jains, Buddhists or even Sikhs. This analogy perfectly fit the hegemonic framework of Hinduism that the Hindu fundamentalist want to make for all the Indians. They want to rob-off their originality, personal identity and individuality by labeling all the people of minority communities as Hindus without realizing the historical context of the term. The term "Hindu" is actually a geographical term as implied by the history of it origin. The river Indus is called "Sindhu" in Sanskrit and Arabic and the Turks and Afghans of the olden time had a hard time pronouncing "Sa" and they repeatedly called it "Ha". Hence, the term "Hindu" got originated which means that people living on the other (eastern) side of river Indus. And some ignorant, illiterate Indians still think that "Hindu" is a religious term and sikhism is an off-shoot of Hinduism which actually is "Sanatan Dharam." I have touched this topic of Hinduism and Sikhism in my article "Hindus and Sikhs- Oneness and infighting" and the link is:

http://mysikhism.blogspot.in/2015/04/hindus-and-sikhs-oneness-and-infighting.html

Now considering the present political scenario of the country, I think the issue of sikh-identity crisis is likely to get exaggerated and the so called PANTHIC party in Punjab, currently ruling the state, has miserably failed to get the sikh identity established as independent and second to none. Hence, sikhs need to make a better choice for securing their identity which is under constant threat of forcible extermination or cultural assimilation.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part V

After a very traumatic day when Punjab faced a major militant attack on Gurdaspur police station, the entire counter-insurgency operation that lasted for 12 hours shook the whole nation, not just Punjab. A shocking incident that reminded Punjab of its dark days of militancy. Though there have been many speculations about the various terrorist organisations about the attack, but I completely rubbish this claim or any possibility of yesterday's Gurdaspur infiltrators belonging to Babbar Khalsa or any sikh extremist outfit. Prima Facie, from the photos of their dead-bodies circulated on social media, they're looking like Muslim terrorists. Maybe the Indian intelligence is right if they link it to LeT (Lashkar-e-Toiba). KPS Gill's speculation cannot be ignored either if he says that it's an IS's (Islamic State's) knock on the Indian doors. I don't think situation is under control yet. Not just me, every Punjabi is worried about the peace and harmony in the state after this attack.

Now this incident clearly indicates that Punjabis need a strong government that can not only ensure communal peace and harmony but can also ensure about its effectiveness in dealing with insurgency. Though today's operation was carried out by the Punjab Police SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team assisted by the army and the para-military forces, but it lost an SP level officer and two home-guards. But the political tragedy behind this whole episode is that we clearly saw a center-state blame game for covering up government's reluctance to act swiftly on the inputs given by the intelligence, though some analysts claim the loopholes in the intelligence to avert such untoward incident. Though Punjab has also seen the rise and fall of a very powerful secessionist movement in 1980's which claimed almost a million lives over a decade, this attack had absolutely nothing to do with its dark history.

Whenever an act of terror strikes, it is either the army, para-military or the police force who emerge as heroes, politicians look more like superficial actors who can only make stereotypical statements and do nothing bold or show no act of valour. Now this has been the tragedy of every democracy, that soldiers and policemen die fighting such evils and politicians move on without shedding a single tear by simply making a hackneyed, superficial statement that simply provokes a sense of patriotism for the moment. It would be really interesting to see a minister or a high ranking official showing some physical courage by fighting alongside a soldier or a policeman. Today's event was also a great satire on those Punjabi singers who promote useless violence in their songs and people especially youngsters can ask them that "where were their guns and guts when terror struck Punjab ??"

Another phenomenon that has kept the government engaged is "Surat Singh Khalsa's fast unto death" to protest against extended sentence of all the sikh prisoners who have finished the duration of their sentence announced by the court. Though the Badal govt. has been very reluctant to hear their woes, and has stuck to the Supreme Court judgement which states that: A convict undergoing life imprisonment is expected to remain in custody till the end of his life, subject to any remission granted by the appropriate government. The convict will be in custody for an indeterminate period. Therefore, remissions earned by or awarded to such a life convict are only notional. In this case, to reduce the period of incarceration, a specific order under Section 432 of the CrPC will have to be passed by the appropriate government. However, the reduced period cannot be less than 14 years as per Section 433-A of the CrPC.

Now the tragedy behind this episode is that an 82 year old man has been on a hunger strike for more than 6 months, has been kept in police custody, force fed, hospitalized and has been given intra-venal drip several times, but he has refused to back-out from his objective. Though there have been many violent clashes and arrests of right-wing sikh hardliners who are khalsa's supporters , the Punjab government has stayed phlegmatic. Now sikhs expect SAD to support and pursue panthic interests but it has failed to resolve the matter with the undaunted octogenarian. BJP has distanced itself from the issue. AAP and Congress haven't shown any reaction yet but what are they waiting for. Their silence at this stage means they're not supporting Khalsa and by definition, they too are opposing him. Hence, panthic interests are the victims of the power-struggle in the state and it would be in the best interest of the sikh youth to understand that they should pursue panthic interests through other organisations like Dal Khalsa and SGPC and not leave them at the mercy of any political party. And SGPC should define a clear-cut distinction between panthic and non-panthic issues and try to minimize political interference in religious matters.

One best thing which can be pointed out about the incumbent government is that it knows how to handle the sikh radicals and is well aware of ways and means to appease them. Even if it pursues its own vested interests, it can always project an image of being the voice of the sikh community which is in minority in the country. Taking into account all the hardcore ground realities of the state, the idea to support student politics is justified only if students are aware of such sensitivities. The PUSU (Punjab University Student Union) elections is the perfect show of muscle and SUV's with very little morality and substance, and is more of a glamorous affair for rich, spoil brats. If the sikh youth needs to be empowered even at the student level, they should make AISSF (All India Sikh Student Federation) more active and start operating more vigorously like NSUI (National Student Union of India) backed by Congress and ABVP (Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad) backed by BJP.

Undoubtedly, all these factors have a bearing on the upcoming assembly elections of the state. The message conveyed through this article is simple that whether it's Congress, BJP, SAD or AAP, all have to keep in mind the sensitivity of Punjab as a political battleground and contest the elections in the right spirit so that no secessionist movement or insurgency can rise again and make Punjab bleed to hell, like it has in the past. All politicians cutting across party lines, should do some soul-searching and try to make their home state more peaceful and livable instead of turning it into a political battleground.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part IV

At this juncture of time, too much has happened in the political space in Punjab which is likely to have a direct impact on the upcoming Assembly polls. Actually I am in a complete state of disgust after observing the political updates in the last 2 weeks and the reason behind that is the leading faces of all the political parties which are the main competitors of the upcoming polls. The following news featured in The Tribune dated 13 July 2015.

Apparently on different pages of the same newspaper, the former CM and the incumbent CM made a statement contradicting each other just for the sake of it. The most irritating part is that these two leaders have made it a personal battle and are so much consumed with their political rivalry that they think it's either me or the other one who can rule the state and no third power can emerge as long as two of us are there. I won't call it an SAD-BJP-Congress nexus but definitely a Captain-Badal nexus to make a fool out of Punjabis.

But even worse is the fact that I'm much more disgusted with AAP as compared to Congress or SAD out of the infighting and factionalism coming in the public domain. Though many AAP loyalists in Delhi were highly disturbed over the expulsion of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the party, expulsion of Dr. Daljit Singh from the Punjab executive committee has infuriated many AAP workers in the state. Many prominent leaders of the party are blaming Arvind Kejriwal for having a dictatorial attitude. Actually, this is changing the entire scenario of the AAP image. Now AAP is making an impression that it's become so much ambitious that it's forgetting about the ways and means of achieving their political success. They're simply looking for leaders who can fetch them seats irrespective of their morals and are bypassing "the neat and clean image" as a criteria for induction into the party. Even Dr. Dharamvir Gandhi has questioned the integrity of Sucha Singh Chhotepur, the Chairman of AAP executive committee of Punjab, by calling him an opportunist who has switched various political parties in the past for making a political career. Only Bhagwant Mann is projecting a magnanimous image and talking of taking everyone along. 

Another social-media source that is worth sharing here is the youtube video of Balwant Singh Nandgarh, the erstwhile Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib:

  

I recommend all the readers to watch this video as the Jathedar though, has been hesitant in making any political statement but has clearly said : "BJP does exactly what SAD tells it to do and SAD does exactly what RSS tells it to do, hence SAD is not thinking about panthic interests."

Though SAD-BJP put up a united face during the Union Finance Minster's visit at Amritsar but it would be really interesting to watch that whether they keep their words about the alliance or not. Punjab politics is actually as bad as any crooked state which has little hope for the future and I recommend the youth to stay away from it as much as possible as the established leaders can make a political non-entity out of a powerful person like Navjot Singh Sidhu at any time and hence the aspiring leaders have absolutely no future in state politics, even AAP doesn't ensure a stable and a reliable platform.

I will present the sequel of this article soon where I'll touch the role of right-wing Sikh outfits and student politics which are the burning topics nowadays.

Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part III (Mission MALWA)

Before making any tall claims about formation of the govt. in Punjab, it is important to understand the region-wise distribution of Legislative Assembly seats in Punjab. Punjab comprises three regions namely Majha, Doaba and Malwa. There are 117 assembly constituencies in the state. The delimitation process in assembly segments has changed the number of constituencies in the regions benefiting the already dominant Malwa by increasing four seats two each from Majha and Doaba. This development not only increased the electoral importance of the region but also became beneficial to the SAD politically. It must be mentioned here that all the Chief Ministers of the state, except one, have been from Malwa region since the reorganization of Punjab in 1966. There has been a complete dominance of this region in state politics.

Region wise Seats

	Seats in 2007	Seats in 2012	Change
Majha	27	25	-2
Doaba	25	23	-2
Malwa	65	69	+4

So, a simple equation about winning the election and forming the government is to win over the Malwa region. Though in 2012 elections the SAD rebel and former Finance Minister of the state failed miserably to fetch even a single seat for "Sanjha Morcha" but hopes are high for Bhagwant Mann for the upcoming 2017 assembly polls. Coincidentally, both Manpreet Badal and Bhagwant Mann are also from the Malwa region making it not only the center of power but also the center for high political activism and political rebellion. Though Manpreet Badal lost by a small margin from Bathinda constituency and Mann made a huge victory from Sangrur constituency in the 2014 parliamentary elections, both of them will be the key players in 2017. Bhagwant Mann also broke away from PPP to join AAP and proved his decision worthy by winning the Sangrur constituency and becoming the leading face of AAP in Punjab and the most likely leader to be projected as the Chief Ministerial candidate for 2017 assembly polls. Though Mann's opportunism proved fruitful for him personally but such opportunism is justified to boost the political careers because even if we look at the careers of our last two Chief Ministers i.e. Capt. and Badal, both have switched political parties at some point of time in the initial stages of their political careers until they became established brands of Punjab politics. And thanks to the leaders like Badal, Tohra and Simranjit Singh Mann for the bifurcation of Shiromani Akali Dal into (B)- Badal faction and (A)- Amritsar faction.

The most interesting thing would be to notice that how Bhagwant Mann and Manpreet Badal will come together to win over Malwa region and make it their stronghold because they will definitely need each other's support to win over the astute SAD lead by Badal and Majithia and the unpredictable Congress lead by Captain and Bajwa.

I will definitely touch the economic aspect of Malwa region and the other dynamics of Punjab politics in my upcoming articles on this subject.

Punjab Assembly Polls 2017 - Part II

As a sequel to my article "Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part I", I felt driven to write the second part of this article after observing the political show on a religious platform during the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the foundation of Anandpur Sahib. Coincidentally, we have also seen the 40th anniversary of the deceleration of the internal emergency in Punjab and the subsequent announcement of the President's rule in 1975. This is the area where I can pin-point the lack of organization, professionalism and understanding between the ruling parties of the state. As their infighting had entered the public domain after the cancellation of the PM's visit on the occasion, the CM did his best to cover-up his absence and soothe the hot-headed young leaders of both the parties.

Actually, this is exactly the reason behind SAD and BJP running together. Their sink and swim relationship is completely based upon the longevity and well-being of the honorable CM of Punjab Mr. Parkash Singh Badal because of his accommodating and liberal nature. The BJP's state leadership has also made a public deceleration about their complete intolerance for the alliance under the leadership of the Deputy CM. On the other hand, the Deputy CM and his brother-in-law Majithia are considered to be highly aggressive and uncompromising and they have repeatedly shown their intolerance for BJP out of their unaccommodating nature.

This great political "Tamasha" about discussing the leaders' nature and personalities, instead of their performance and the working of the institutions is the outcome of the personality cult introduced by BJP in the country during 2014 parliamentary elections. The previous UPA govt. though, allegedly made some huge scams but didn't play much politics over personality and never projected an individual's larger-than-life image that surpassed the sanctity of the constitutional office he/ she is holding. But the worst thing about the 10 year UPA rule was that they institutionalized the extra-constitutional authority asserting itself over the second-highest constitutional office of the country and they live in denial about it even today.

In this era of personality politics, it is worth comparing the two big leaders of the sikh community whose names will be unforgettable in the history of Indian politics- Incumbent CM of Punjab S. Parkash Singh Badal and the former PM of India Dr. Manmohan Singh. This comparison is worthy because of a huge similarity between the two. Both these leaders have a good personal image of being hard-working and self-made gentlemen and practicing integrity to an extent, but none of them could stop their Cabinet Ministers from accumulating illicit fortunes and that too, very high on quantum. The projection of helplessness is greater in the case of CM, Mr. Badal as there're a lot of members of his family in his Cabinet and the ownership of their business empires has already entered the public domain. The scenario may be a bit different in the rest of the country but in Punjab, the scions of power-elites can be pin-pointed for hijacking all the top level executive, corporate and political positions, thus blocking the way of the talented and educated Punjabi youth to acquire those positions and barring them to serve on those positions with much more integrity and commitment and at a much lower allowance.

The huge side-effect of concentration of power in Punjab is the promotion of VVIP culture which further burdens the public exchequer for their lavish expenditure on security. Unfortunately, those considered to be the "Sewaks" (or the servants) of the "Panth" have completely forgotten the teachings of the "panth " which are rooted in a simple and a humble life-style. This leads us to another fact about the social and economic inequality prevailing in the state. People usually complain about the burden of draconian taxes and shutting down of the small scale business units but there is a flip side present to it which usually goes unnoticed. Majority of the capitalists in Punjab either have a political background or political patronage. Liquor and real-estate businesses are the best examples of political hijacking and bureaucratic blood-sucking.

Now, looking beyond the reflection of the present state of affairs, the upcoming assembly polls will not only give Punjabis a chance to topple the unsatisfactory performer but also to bring in fresh leadership with the zeal and enthusiasm to do good for them. Though, it won't be fair to predict the result of the elections right now, I would rather adopt a wait and watch policy for bringing in more objective articles on the subject till February 2017. 

Abundance - Abundance = Abundance

The main motive of a spiritual living is to connect oneself to abundance. In order to connect yourself to abundance, you must realize the presence of abundance around yourself. We are all connected, by default to abundance, it's just that we sometimes get too much short-sighted and myopic to realize our connection with the spirit which connects us to abundance. This is the result of our entrapment in our egos. It's not tough to get rid of that entrapment, it's a simple exercise to get rid of your ego and listen to the innermost voice of your soul that connects you to abundance. Just take note of the simple things that you do in your day-to-day lives spanning over a period of time. e.g. having your meal and drinking water can connect you to abundance. Do I sound crazy ?? But that's the truth.... it's simple !! Simply think about the number of rotis/ chapatis that you relish in a single day, it'll be around 5-6 or 8-10 depending on individual appetite, then simply think about number of chapatis that you've had in the last one week, (for ease of calculation I'll take the figure of 10), it'll be 10 x 7 = 70. Then think about rotis that you've had in a month or a year it'll be 365 x 10 = 3650. Then simply multiply this number with your age, say 30 yrs i.e. 3650 x 30 = 1,09,500. Let's round it off to a figure of 1 lakh. Now envision 1 lakh chapattis lying in front of you, they will definitely require space much bigger than your own size, maybe as big as your bedroom. Can you even think of distributing them in a langar or a bhadara all alone ?? It's impossible for one individual to serve the langar of 1 lakh chapattis all alone but you just ate them up over a period of 30 years. That's not funny.... that's reality... You are connected to abundance of food around you but you never realized that you actually are.

Similarly, we can envision about water intake in our lifetime, that may fill up a swimming pool.  Now that is the way you could think about the money that you made and you spent, then you'll realize that you are much more rich than you actually think you are. It's only a matter of your personal choice which way you want to look for abundance in your life because it's simply not restricted to the countable things like rotis or water (in terms of gallons) or money (in terms of currency). The universe offers you the abundance of things that matter the most to facilitate your existence in it. Things like love, respect, beauty, good health, happiness, satisfaction, knowledge, personal growth, all of them exist in abundance around us. We can not only take these things in abundance but also give them away in abundance and yet we'll be left with them in abundance. Stay connected !! ;)

India must resort to cycling

As the title is perfect and self-explanatory, I simply want my fellow Indians especially Punjabis to seriously consider cycling for commuting short distances. As we Punjabis have become too much superficial and flamboyant in boasting-off our "False Status", I would urge all my friends to consider the hardcore and bitter ground realities before laughing at my suggestion.

Stop showing-off your car, it's on EMI anyways

For those who're not aware, EMI stands for Equated Monthly Installment and this is not a secret that majority of the four-wheeler owners are trapped in their EMI's.

Stop cursing the traffic, your car is adding to it

It's very easy to blame the government for not double-laning or four-laning of the road nearest to your home. Use a bicycle to save time and fuel in traffic.

Gym and Cardio, just another status symbol

Once you develop this good habit of cycling for distances within 5 kms of your homes, you'll feel immense satisfaction in losing those extra pounds.

Bicycle won't reduce your status

It is just another social stigma or taboo that only poor use the cycle. I'm not telling you to sell-off your car anyways. just supplement short-distances with cycling. Simply curse those regressive and myopic politicians and capitalists for promoting the VIP culture in India.

Consider Economic facts

The level of inflation over the last 45 years has gone around 200 times. If your grandpa lived a comfortable life earning  1000 INR per month and enjoyed a lot of respect with a net worth of 2 lakh INR. You simply need 1000 x 200 = 2 Lakh INR per month to live a life as comfortable and need a net worth of 2,00,000 x 200 = 4 crore INR to enjoy the same level of respect.


If Chinese could use bicycles in the interest of their economy then why not us Indians ?? If incumbent PM Mr. Modi could garner huge number of votes by saying that he has risen from poverty and once assuming office, he has even forgotten how to spell "poverty" and enjoying a high-profile opulent life-style, he is simple sending across a message of hypocrisy and selfishness and not love for the nation.... Think about it Mr. PM.... Make one cycle mandatory per home !!

Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part I

I think this is the right time to shoot an article on the upcoming assembly polls in Punjab in 2017 as the state is literally crying foul for the lack of opportunities, lawlessness, coercion, power abuse and many other social evils. It would rather feel like one's heart bleeding to see the level of insecurity, red tape-ism, political sycophancy  in the govt. run departments. The incumbent government seems too insensitive to the issues of a common Punjabis who want to make a dignified living in their home state and aspire to get rewarded as per their capability. Some of their draconian policies have almost eliminated the small-scale businessmen and the farming community subject to committing suicides to escape their debt-traps.

Though it may not be the right time to predict the formation of the government in 2017, it is rather the best time to educate and sensitize the voters to have a long-term vision for their brighter future. Though, the Deputy CM may deny the presence of any anti-incumbency against his SAD-BJP govt. but there are a couple of Akali ministers (including himself) who can be pin-pointed for public resentment against them and undoubtedly, anti-incumbency exists for him and his brother-in-law who together are holding 9 portfolios. BJP minister Anil Joshi turned things his way after getting the acquittal in dual-vote scam.

Though the recent Municipal Corporation and Dhuri by-election results clearly portray a flip side but we must consider the fact that voters didn't have a third option as AAP stayed out of the polling arena. Though I'm a politically neutral person, I won't shy away from supporting the AAP to have bright prospects in the upcoming assembly elections. As both the parties of the ruling alliance i.e. SAD and BJP are hardcore right-wing parties, they have shown a regressive outlook in addressing the modern-day issues affecting the educated urban Punjabis. SAD-BJP infighting will definitely cost them a lot in the upcoming elections but that will be nullified, to an extent, by factionalism within AAP where it has shown a clear-cut division in Kejriwal-faction and Yadav-Bhushan-faction. The biggest challenge in AAP's way would be to get sensitized with the rural Punjabis and non-users of social media like facebook and whatsapp.

The time may not be right for the Congress to make a comeback in Punjab as there is a state of complete imbalance in Punjab polity and with Congress completely wiped out in the center, it may not be able to bring about the required change in Punjab polity. Taking in view the current scenario, the time is perfect when India (not just Punjab) needs the resurgence of the leftist forces. AAP may not have a defined ideology but it is beyond doubt that their main agenda is corruption and social inequality which are very rampant in Punjab. AAP is rather an Indian version of the Marxist ideology which really needs to propagate throughout the country taking into account the current state of Indian/ Punjab politics, where majoritarianism and religious fundamentalism are gaining grounds. I would suggest AAP to project a CM candidate who can counter Akalis on panthic agenda too as they're very opportunistic in using the panthic agenda. As Akalis couldn't stop Haryana from forming a separate SGPC, they are no more the proprietors of the panthic agenda. Any sikh leader from any political party is free to invoke or address the panthic agenda and this will make the Akal Takhat more unbiased and community-friendly instead of being ruling family-friendly.

Without promoting or supporting the politics of Vendetta, in the larger interest of my home-state, I would urge the voters to be cautious, vigilant and foresee the various strategies which are likely to be used by different parties to allure their votes. Now SAD-BJP being in power will be in a more powerful position to influence the voters by passing various resolutions at the eleventh hour. Another probable strategy is cutting down of the liquor prices w.e.f. April 2016, after selling liquor at almost double the Marked Price for four years. Just 1 year of effective governance shouldn't overshadow 9 years of coercion and misrule.
.
All the netizens especially those using the services of govt. ISP's (Internet Service Providers) should be mentally prepared to see the down-time of internet during elections as this could be intentionally done by the people in power to stop people to freely express themselves. I myself did experience internet downtime during 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

In the end, I would just say that this is only the beginning of the articles, I'll continue to pour in more write-ups unless my fundamental right of freedom of expression isn't snubbed ;)