The Troubling State of Punjab: Political Failures, Extremist Politics, and the Need for Action

The trouble in Punjab started as the central and state governments failed to fulfill the basic developmental needs of the people. Punjab has been in the news for all the wrong reasons for the last ten years. The Congress government in Punjab, led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, must be partially blamed for the trouble brewing in the region today. Though his nationalist credentials are unquestionable. But during his tenure, Punjab slid into drug addiction. Also, it would not be fair to blame only the former Congress government for the deteriorating situation in Punjab. The BJP had once a very strong presence in Punjab. In fact, Punjab consistently sent BJP members to the lower house of the parliament, including Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sunny Deol, until recently. Still, PM Modi and his coterie isolated the leaders of their own party in Punjab and failed to address their political aspirations. 

 

Congress and the SAD also lost credibility due to rampant corruption over the years, while SAD also paid the price of entering an alliance with the Modi-led BJP. The extreme politics of the BJP is generating a fear psychosis among the minorities in India. The RSS generally stays away from indigenous religions and mainly focuses on demonizing the Muslim community. Though lower-level workers of extreme Hindu organizations don’t understand the sophisticated and selective hate-mongering of their top leaders. They don't shy away from taking aggressive postures against all other minorities.  

 

It is almost certain that RSS and BJP would not be able to control the extreme and loud reaction of Hindu outfits against the statements and activities of Amritpal Singh, who is openly advocating and demanding the separation of Punjab. Unfortunately, he has become a larger-than-life figure and any attempt to curtail his activities will result in violence. This new face of emerging turmoil in Punjab lacks political sophistication, appears mostly angry, and will easily trip if grilled properly about his objectives. It is also doubtful that he understands the implications of his rhetoric.

 

Now, the BJP should tread cautiously. The AAP in Punjab is a beneficiary of a political vacuum in the state generated by the failures of the SAD and Congress governments. Arvind Kejriwal is an astute political opportunist. If violence starts in Punjab, he will try to take political advantage and might subtly repeat the grudges against the extremist politics of the BJP as outlined by Amritpal Singh to hide the failures of the state government. 

The murmuring has already started within the Hindu community in major towns in Punjab that they could be targeted by the emboldened Khalistan supporters. It was almost unimaginable that anyone will demand separation from the Indian Union openly on television news channels. The extreme separatist views were generally peddled by the Sikhs who had been settled in Western countries but were limited to certain quarters of the diaspora. Now, the internet and social media have changed things. Through social media, as it is largely unregulated in India, the extremists are finding it easy to spread their divisive ideas and mislead the youth. 

 

How to deal with the problem? 

 

1st, the Union government must cooperate with the state govt and finish the menace of drugs in Punjab. 2nd, it must closely monitor the activities of Amritpal Singh and his close associates. 3rd, the Union government must force social media companies to remove all separatist propaganda about Khalistan from all social media sites operating in India (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube). These companies must be told in no uncertain terms to remove the content. 4th, the BJP govt should also understand that the majority in the lower house does not mean it can forcibly push its policies down the throats of people. It should invest time, energy, and resources to prepare public opinion before launching programs that affect large populations. 5th, govt must ponder and outline why radicalized elements are getting support in Punjab and address their legitimate concerns. 6th, the media must avoid using the word Khalistan or Khalistani to describe disgruntled elements in Punjab. Calling all their opponents anti-national or questioning their patriotism is a favorite pastime of BJP workers and politicians. They must be careful this time as their aggressive political rhetoric might backfire in Punjab.  

 

[Mukesh Devrari)