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.