‘The Opiated State’

 By Shamsher Kainth 

‘Religion is the opium of the masses’, when the German economist and philosopher, Karl Heinrich Marx said this in the nineteenth century, he wouldn’t be confident that it would be apt even two centuries later. It is not just apt but also proving to be a hit success formula in India, especially in a state like Punjab. Gujarat, of course, has already demonstrated this over a decade ago.

‘Memorial’ is the word dominating the polity in the Sikh majority state, Punjab, for over a year now, since the 28^th anniversary of the Army’s operation to flush out armed militants from the holiest Sikh shrine, The Golden Temple, codenamed Operation Blue Star. June 6, 2012 was the day when the foundation stone of the memorial was laid in the Golden Temple complex. The original idea was to dedicate the memorial to the Sikh militants who died fighting the Indian Army during Operation Blue Star. But bowing to pressure, both from the opposition Congress and the alliance partner BJP, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the SGPC decided against naming the memorial and putting any pictures inside it.   This, despite a resolution passed by the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee in May 2012, deciding to dedicate the memorial to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other terrorists who died in the Amry operation in June 1984.

The decision of the Sikh representative body and its political master, Shiromani Akali Dal notwithstanding, the Damdami Taksal, that was entrusted with ‘kar sewa’ to construct the memorial, put a plaque outside the memorial with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s name inscribed. A wall clock with Bhindranwale’s picture and a donation box having Bhindranwale’s name engraved on it also adorned the ‘gurudwara’ as it was inaugurated in the last week of May 2013, leaving the SGPC flummoxed. Sikh seminary, Damdami Taksal, which was once headed by militant preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, is at loggerheads with the SGPC as the latter wants any references to Bhindranwale or any other individuals removed from the memorial which it maintains is a place for ‘peace and worship’.

This memorial has come up despite vociferous opposition from those who fought terrorism, several political quarters, including SAD’s alliance partner, BJP. What has riled the saffron party even more is dedicating it to a man who was synonymous with ‘gun violence and terrorism’.  

But, even as the dispute between Damdami Taksal and SGPC, over naming the memorial at the Golden Temple after Bhindranwale is before the Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikh religion, foundation stone of another memorial has been laid in Delhi. This one to the thousands of innocent victims of the anti Sikh pogrom of 1984 in the national capital.

The Shiromani Akali Dal has maintained that building the Operation Blue Star memorial was an internal matter of the SGPC.  But in reality, the SAD tacitly supported the SGPC’s decision to erect the Operation Blue Star memorial, as the Sikh body is under direct control of the SAD and majority of its members come from the party itself.

The Akali Dal is understood to have supported the move in order to send a signal to its ‘panthak’ constituency that the party is still concerned about the community’s painful past. Shiromani Akali Dal had projected development as the sole election issue for the 2012 assembly polls, giving a go by to the issues of the Sikh panth which used to be the hallmark of the Akali politics. Punjab government’s back room peace agreement with the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda since the 2009 general election had weaned away the panthak Akali constituents from the party.

By supporting the operation Blue Star memorial the Akali Dal hasn’t just shown that it still cares for its core constituents, but has also raked up anti Congress sentiment among the Sikhs. The memorial in Delhi, to the victims of 1984 anit Sikh riots is being seen as a reward to the Sikh voters of Delhi for SAD victory in the recently held DSGMC elections that the Akali Dal swept and the Akali Dal’s attempt to strengthen itself in the national capital where it is eyeing a couple of assembly seats.

When the ruling Akali Dal is going ahead with these memorials, caring a fig for the concerns raised by the BJP and other quarters, the Congress too has to do something to stop its rival’s memorial juggernaut.  And the bruised and battered Congress, that suffered back to back election losses, can’t think of anything better that yet another memorial. The state Congress president, Pratap Singh Bajwa has put forth the demand of raising a ‘Peace memorial’ in the memory of 25000 people who died during the period of militancy in Punjab. The demand has found support from some leaders of the BJP. Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, national Senior Vice President is among those who want a memorial to the innocent victims of terrorism in Punjab. But Madan Mohan Mittal, health minister, Punjab, says that terrorism was a dark chapter in the history of the state and its pagers should best be left unopened. Mittal opposes any memorial that reminds the people of the state of the dark days of terrorism. 

But voices like Mittal’s are either very few or not audible at all. The BJP had been opposing the memorial at the Golden Temple, but because it is an emasculated political outfit in Punjab government since the 2012 election, and the Akali dal emerged stronger than before, the saffron party couldn’t make it’s objection count.

As for Pratap Singh Bajwa, desperate to prove himself as the PCC president, has perhaps fallen into a trap by descending to the same abyss as the Akali Dal. By demanding a peace memorial, he has given the Akali Dal another opportunity to bushwhack the Congress for ‘perpetrating crimes against the Sikhs’ as the party asks Congress to build a ‘repentance memorial’. For all the talk of national integration and secularism, the Akali Dal’s support to the memorial in the Golden temple isn’t just demoralising for the security forces and patriotic Indians, but may also polarise communities.  

While the government and the opposition exchange barbs over the memorials, 70 per cent of the state’s youth are caught in drugs net, over 40 lakh are struggling for employment, improvement in power situation is still a pipe dream. Crime, women’s safety, not just from criminals but also from cops, everything seems low on priority.    

Amid the jostling and caterwaul for the same electoral space, absence of someone who can put forth the good of the state and its people as the goal and not just the votes of one particular community, is badly felt.