Why Khalistan keeps raising its head in Punjab's political narrative

For some time now, people in Punjab are perplexed over the issue of Khalistan and extremism raising its head again and again. Only last week Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh brought it up while meeting Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Also, representatives of Indus Canada Foundation gave a much more serious dimension to it.

Observers have been underlining for quite sometime that the militant movement for Khalistan in Indian Punjab is dead. The idea is alive, though 'marginally', off shore where Khalistani sympathisers keep on organising events and seminars to discuss it at various platforms.

One thing that marked the run up to the last year's Punjab Assembly elections is the fact that the discourse over the issue came alive amid allegations and counter allegations of hobnobbing with hardline Sikh elements. It was thought that these were just poll pranks being played by the three main players – the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine. But the issue has remained an integral part of Punjab politics ever since with it being played up time and again by none other than the state government.

Last Thursday Amarinder urged Rajnath for a comprehensive strategy to tackle the re-emergence of extremism in Punjab, which according to him, is threatening to disturb the peace and stability of the state again.

The Punab CM stressed upon the need for the formulation of an all-encompassing strategy to counter emerging extremism and suggested strengthening the intelligence apparatus along with action against foreign handlers based in Canada, United Kingdom, the United States, Italy and Germany who are actively engaged in activities for revival of terrorism in Punjab.

Amarinder also underlined the need for countering social media activities aimed at disturbing the peace and stability of the state. He was of the opinion that strengthening the state government’s 'Connect with Your Roots’ programme would help.

A Punjab government spokesperson said Rajnath agreed to look into the state’s demands under the Modernisation of Police Forces Scheme (MPF Scheme). Citing the state’s security concerns, Amarinder had reiterated the demand for central assistance in the modernisation of the police forces.

He said under MPF, Punjab should be designated a 'Category-A' state for financial assistance with 90:10 centre-state sharing basis on the pattern of Jammu and Kashmir and the eight north-eastern states. He also sought allocation of additional funds to Punjab under the MPF Scheme for strengthening the state's Special Branch for various law-and-order challenges like proxy war, trans-border terrorism and influx of drugs, weapons and explosives.

A home ministry spokesperson said Amarinder apprised Rajnath about the situation in Punjab, including issues related to attempts to create disturbances through targeted killings. A number of such killings have taken place over the last one-and-a-half years. Rajnath assured all possible central assistance, as requested by the Punjab government. Amarinder appreciated support being provided by central agencies in investigating these cases. The NIA is carrying out probes into these killings, suspected to be carried out through a criminal conspiracy to disturb communal harmony in the State.

On Wednesday Vikram JS Bajwa of Indus Canada Foundation while talking about various NRI issues said the students going abroad for studies, particularly to Canada and the US have been falling in the Khalistani traps. 

He said majority of the students going to Canada, their number reaching around 25,000 per quarter, are being sent by their family members after selling off land or other assets. They face financial hardships there or paying their and funding their academics. Thus they are easy prey for Khalistani groups who are fronts of the Pakistani agency ISI. 

“The problem is that most of these students just matriculates and are not pursuing professional courses but regular courses. They also face problems in getting jobs. The Khalistani lobbyists are luring them for anti-Punjab and anti-India training,” Bajwa said.

He said his organisation has authenticated this to the Punjab Police chief Suresh Arora. He said there is no village-level record available with the government of the students going abroad. In addition to this the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has no programme to help such students in distress abroad. 

He further explained that a large number of students become parts of gangs in Canada and the US that are being run by Khalistani elements. Bajwa claimed that once they get involved in any legal matter they are assured of a long stay there because the local laws do not allow their departure before the said cases are taken to their logical conclusion. He however did not come out with specific instances but claimed that there are around 600 such students on the West Coast of Canada and around 1,000 on the East Coast. This is a new dimension to the issue and can have far reaching ramifications.

The manner in which both the Centre and the Amarinder regime 'cold-shouldered' Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his recent visit and how the lobby adamant on raising the Khalistan bogey was successful in its attempts is well known.

But what is baffling a large number of Punjabis is that why is Amarinder singing to a tune that is generally perceived to that of the BJP under the leadership of people like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party's National President Amit Shah.

There is a strong point of view that Amarinder has been trying to carve out a niche for himself in the 'nationalist politics' that is the flavour of the politics in India since Modi came to power. But a more precise view comes from Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh who said: “The whole issue is about polarising voters along communal lines in Punjab ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress knows that the Sikh vote will be split between the Akalis and them. It wants to consolidate the Hindu vote in its favour by raising the issue of Khalistan again and again.” 

The Hindu vote bank had shifted towards the Congress during the assembly polls because of various factors like the AAP leadership being seen close to the Sikh hardliners in Canada, impact of demonetisation on small traders etc.

Kanwar Pal Singh further said: “Sikh chief ministers, whether from the Congress or the Akalis, have proved to be the best friends of the centre. They have always contained the anti-Centre sentiment. The Centre has always saddled them with the task of keeping at bay the issues related to separate identity, homeland etc.”

There is a wide perception among political observers in Punjab among the non BJP chief ministers in the country, Amarinder is the one who has been echoing BJP's line on such issues to a large extent. Many observers feel that having failed to deliver what he had promised in the run up to the elections, Amarinder has been trying to divert attention by raising the issue of Khalistan. 

Whatever the case Amarinder will have to come out with an explanation to debunk all these perceptions to clear the political mist around Khalistan that is once again engulfing Punjab.