Punjab continues to be on edge, and
the outlook remains grim. The increasing grip of the Badal family over issues
concerning Sikhs, both political and religious, coupled with incidents of
sacrilege of the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, and multiple sets of
problems faced by farmers, are reinforcing the impression of a State
administration at a loss for initiatives to regain equilibrium. The State is
already in the grip of drug abuse, falling agricultural output and farm debts.
It has faced a farmers’ agitation for over two months now. The resentment in
the cotton and rice belt reached such proportions that officials were scared to
venture into the villages. In a latest round, there have been the recurring
incidents of sacrilege. Sikh hard-liners and ‘panthic’ organisations are
meanwhile uniting against the ruling Akali leadership. On its part, the
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-led government is fighting to retain political and religious
supremacy ahead of the 2017 Assembly election. While Parkash Singh Badal and
Sukhbir Badal, the father and son, are Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister
respectively, the latter is also the president of SAD and consequently has
under his control the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) that has
the power to appoint members of the Sikh clergy. Mr. Sukhbir’s wife Harsimrat
Kaur Badal is a Union Cabinet Minister, while at least four members of the
family are in the State Cabinet.
The regrouping of the panthic
organisations in the context of a supposed Khalistan agenda has given rise to
the question whether Punjab will witness another phase of militancy. The
organisations are determined to hold a Sarbat Khalsa, or a congregation of
Sikhs, in Amritsar on November 10, where they are likely to announce the names
of jathedars for the Akal Takht, the Takht Keshgarh Sahib and the Takht Damdama
Sahib. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar has, however, said that only the Akal
Takht can summon a Sarbat Khalsa. It was the decision of the clergy on
September 24 to grant pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
that set off protests across the State. The SGPC, dominated by SAD, granted the
pardon to the Dera head, who was accused of blasphemy by imitating Guru Gobind
Singh. This was seen as an attempt by SAD to garner the support of Dera
followers ahead of the Assembly elections. The pardon was, however, reversed to
pacify protesters. Following this, a spate of incidents of sacrilege of the
Guru Granth Sahib surfaced. The situation has gone from bad to worse after two
persons died in police firing in Behbal Kalan village in Faridkot district on
October 14. The crisis further escalated when, in an unprecedented step, the
SGPC suspended the Panj Pyare, the five beloved ones of the Guru, only to
revoke the step later. It is most unlikely that Punjab will return to the phase
of terrorism of the decade of the 1980s. The suffering and disruption the State
went through are, no doubt, fresh in memory for many. But that reassurance in
no way diminishes the current political and administrative challenges.
Data that may be helpful:
Meanings:-
- grim : very serious or gloomy
- sacrilege : violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred
- venture : a risky or daring journey or undertaking
- militancy : vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'
- garner : gather or collect
Important Points:-
- Parkash Singh Badal --Chief Minister of Punjab
- Sukhbir Badal - Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, president of Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD)
Source: The Hindu, 16- Nov- 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment