Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, The political dynamics of Punjab which is prone to cyclical violence can ill-afford yet another polarisation after the bloody turmoil of the eighties which cost several thousands of lives, including the life of a prime minister and a chief minister. Not that there is imminent threat of eruption of political violence in this border state, but the situation towards which the state is inching has potential of multi-dimensional fallout. This would also have to be seen in the context of the regional geo-political turmoil in this part of Asia.
What is interesting and also ironical is that the apprehension of polarisation is taking roots at the time when the Shiromani Akali Dal opted for inclusive approach and in the process, came under fire from a section of the Sikhs for change in the basic character of the second oldest political party in the country that came into existence to articulate the ambitions and aspirations of the Sikh community. Even in the late sixties, the Akali Dal tried to adopt agenda of inclusiveness and Punjabiat but it has become more and more pronounced after Sukhbir Singh Badal took over as its President in 2008. His strategy and tactics in the 2012 Assembly elections, although dictated by political arithmetic, gave out clear signals of the changing role of the party in consonance with the new social reality.
Due to the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the senior Akali leaders are not willing to talk openly as happened earlier when the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh decided to penetrate the rural areas of Punjab with its own agenda in 1999 but had to withdraw due to vociferous protests by non-Akali Sikh organisations. At that time also, Punjab was being ruled by the Akali Dal-BJP alliance with the BJP led NDA government at the centre. It is a repeat situation with the difference that the BJP government in Delhi is not at the mercy of the Akali Dal but it is the vice versa. The BJP is now in aggressive mode.
It is now becoming almost certain that the BJP would part with the Akali Dal to contest the next Assembly election at its own and it is in this context that the role of the RSS and its front organisations is becoming increasingly important.
The articulation of the situation by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as the Akali Dal-BJP alliance being the best guarantor of peace might be having element of distortion introduced by perverted perspective as the basis of this alliance were different from what is being projected. This arrangement suited both the BJP and Badal as the right wing Hindu party could not win even a couple of seats at its own in this state which has been subjected to extreme polarisation but free from communal riots by and large. Even during the November 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom in Delhi and other cities, Punjab remained absolutely calm and there was not a single case of retaliation. This state has been getting polarised over different issues from the mid-fifties. Distortions apart, going by the official figures, more Sikhs became targets of the militant violence than the Hindus. It was mainly due to the Hindus having been targeted in groups and in some cases by dragging them from the buses that this perception of the militant violence being anti-Hindu got reinforced.
The meeting of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, the Sikh front of the RSS, held in Delhi recently is very significant. Interestingly, the symbolism that the Sikh Sangat has started using was popular among the radical organisations in the context of the demand for a separate Sikh state. The Sikh Sangat banner that was displayed at the back of the stage had two photographs, one of General Jassa singh Ramgarhia and the other of Genral Baghel Singh. The picture of General Baghel Singh is the one where he is shown leading his mounted troupes with the Red Fort of Delhi in the background. It is the Khalsa flag that is seen fluttering from the ramparts of the Red Fort. It was General Baghel Singh who took over Delhi and defeated then Mughal emperor Shah Alam II who entered into settlement with the Sikhs. The RSS might be using the symbol to focus on the subjugation of the Mughal emperor by the Sikhs but then it also leaders to the other interpretation of the Sikh raj. That way, the RSS is playing with the double edged weapon.
It is to be seen in the coming days as to how the Punjab countryside reacts to the penetration of the RSS in the villages. Already, pictures have appeared of the marches taken out by the RSS activists flaunting weapons like revolvers in some small towns of Malwa region. However, the Badal government seems to have maintained a studied silence. Such marches have the element of provocation so far as the Sikh organisations are concerned. Moreover, such a situation may force the Akali Dal to revisit its agenda of inclusiveness. But then the Sikh doctrine is secular in content preaching classless and casteless society and the Akali Dal has to reflect this ideology. It is the RSS that is considered to be sectarian.
