Page 12 - English Tehelka Issue 6 - March 31, 2018

khalistan
column
SPECTRAVISION
HarcHaran
Bains
The writer, an eminent
columnist and freelance
journalist, has been
a five-time Advisor to
Punjab Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal.
He writes regularly
for the English and
regional newspapers
and journals
12-15 Bains Spectravision.indd 2-3
Khalistan was Nehru’s • Deflecting focus Noises in the name of Sikhs
reply to Jinnah’s Pakistan deflect focus away from legitimate demands
from Khurasaan the Masters of my
motherland/ So that you don’t get
The issue of Khalistan is rather a non-issue for a majority of Sikhs. directly blamed for our tragedy, O
Instead of giving it undue weightage, the leaders would do well to God)”
This is the heritage from which
focus on the genuine and constitutional demands of the community every Sikh draws inspiration. No
wonder then that their greatest
icons include Arjun Singh, Marshall
he first task one needs to country and everyone in the media that of the Air Force, and Lt Gen Jagjit
undertake to solve any the concept of an independent Sikh Singh Arora and Lt Gen Harbaksh
problem is to understand state was originally floated by none Singh, the heroes of the Bangla Desh
it. On Punjab, where we other than Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in and the 1965 wars with Pakistan.
needlessly continue to in- the pre-independence period through The question then is: on whose
T sist on turning an asset into a Sikh leader whose ear he had at that behalf do all these “sole spokesper-
a liability, understanding has been the time. Although the term had popped up sons” of a separate Sikh country
greatest casualty. Therefore, before we occasionally as a non-serious slogan by named Khalistan speak? Whom
get prescriptive on the subject, let’s first stray unrepresentative voices during do they represent when the whole
get the diagnosis right. Let us, in other the period leading up to the partition of Sikh community sings the hymns of
words, get our facts in place. the country into India and Pakistan, the Guru Nanak whose heart cries out
The Sikhs constitute below 2 per cent concept was first given formal shape for India?
of the population of the country. They and the term Sikh Home Land first used There have been all sorts of noises
have a long tradition of being fiercely by Master Tara Singh at Nehru’s behest litical, moral and economic fatigue surrounding the recent visit of the
patriotic. But every now and then, when as a “counterblast to Jinnah’s demand with regard to India. They wanted Ironically, demand Canadian Prime Minister Justin
a nondescript Sikh declares himself a for an independent Muslim state, themselves out of the country as for Khalistan was Trudeau to India. Who were behind
radical, the whole of our national media Pakistan. soon as possible. In fact, the creation those noises? Was it the radical and
splashes it as ‘Breaking News’ or a head- Nehru had successfully converted of Pakistan itself, with the ridicu- raised to preserve radicalized yet marginalised section
line as if the entire Sikh community had the mercurial Sikh leader to a fake lous absurdity of an East and West India’s unity and of Sikh politicos in India and abroad?
spoken through that self-styled spokes- ‘political religion’ and persuaded him Pakistan separated by nearly the Or was it the political opportunism
person. It doesn’t matter that the self- to demand a paradise not to secure it vast Indian stretch of over 2,000 integrity, and not and adventurism of Trudeau and
proclaimed spokesperson generally has but only to deny it to someone else. In kilometres, was the result largely of to break it. It was his party in order to exploit the Sikh
not won a formal mandate to represent other words, the demand for Khalistan this British fatigue. constituency for electoral gains at
a state legislative constituency or even a was first raised to counter and kill the As the dream of a new country to used to frighten the the expense of the Sikh community?
village Panchayat in Punjab. And there demand for Pakistan. Thus, ironically, be known as Pakistan drew closer British away from Or could it be that some political
are at any given time more than two Khalistan was invented to preserve to reality, the Sikh frustration over parties in India who have been itch-
scores of such “sole spokespersons” of India’s unity and integrity, and not to its realization grew stronger and the idea of Pakistan ing equally strongly to milk the so
the Sikh community none of whom has break it. It was used to frighten the Brit- stronger, culminating in Master Tara called ‘Hindu backlash’ for elec-
ever won an election in Punjab — nei- ish away from the idea of Pakistan. The Singh drawing his long Kirpan (Sikh toral gains were orchestrating these
ther for a legislative nor for a religious idea was to counter the geographical ceremonial dagger) out of it sheath proud to be a Sikh as he is proud controversies?
role among the Sikhs. absurdity of partition with the geo- to declare that Pakistan would be to be an Indian. In fact, the two Whoever is responsible for these
This guy called Jaspal Atwal who was graphical absurdity of another partition created only on his dead body. He identities are coterminous. Not dangerous games being played
at the heart of the controversy sur- — in fact, many partitions to accommo- threatened bloodshed in case Paki- many are aware that the first Guru in the name of the so-called Sikh
rounding the recent trip of Canadian date the Nagas, the Mizos, the Tamils, the stan was created. Thus, the man who of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev ji, demands, he is doing this country
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is one Sindhis, the Pakhtoons, the Gurkhas, the had raised the demand for a second went to the extent of protesting a great disservice and is hurting its
such “sole spokesperson” of the Sikhs. Dogras and so on. partition of India Version — 2 was even against God for subjecting his cause grievously. And the Sikhs are
Quite embarrassing for the media Sadly, Nehru himself later forgot to now threatening to die or kill — or country — India — to a tragic repres- already feeling as if they were mere
that Atwal has since declared himself tell his party that the Sikh Home Land both — in order to stall the Partition sion and humiliation at the hands electoral fodder being fed upon from
against all forms of violence, separatism, was nothing but a Congress sub-plot to of India Version – 1. of the invading Mughals. “Khurasan the opposite ends by contrary forces.
pledging himself to the unity and integ- defeat a larger plot. Anyone familiar with the past khasmaana keeya, Hindustan draaya/ A vast majority of peace-loving
rity of his country. “India is my country,” Nehru knew better than anybody and the present mood and con- Aape dos na deyee kartaa, jum kar Sikhs here have always believed that
he declared the other day for emphasis. else that the British government and duct of the Sikhs has no problem mughal chadhaaia (You have made their whole community being given
It might surprise most people in the the people suffered from extreme po- in seeing that that every Sikh is as the Mughals, these demons of death, a bad name for the sins of a radical
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