Six in Ten Support Govt.

A 2024 pre-general election survey has found that 58% of non-farmers agree with the farmers’ demands and want to see the implementation of policies that benefit farmers. The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and Lokniti (public policy) survey was conducted across 19 states, in 400 polling stations across one assembly segment each, in 100 parliamentary constituencies, among 10,019 respondents. The key issues resonating in the upcoming elections are inflation and unemployment — a direct negative response to the ruling BJP’s claims. More than half of respondents expressed concerns over price rise and reduction of jobs in India — a fallout of the 2016 demonetization and repeated COVID-19 waves (2020-2022). 62% of respondents said getting jobs has become more difficult (67% of Muslims, 63% of Hindus from Other Backward Classes, 59% of Scheduled Tribes, and 57% of upper caste respondents). 71% of respondents said price rise has affected their pockets. 76% of the poor said inflation was hitting them hard. Tellingly, the survey also showed that those who trust the Election Commission of India to a ‘great extent’ to conduct free and fair elections has dipped from 51% in 2019 to 28% in 2024. The nationwide survey is a clear indictment of the regime and a response to the propaganda unleashed on the people. Election results will show if the citizens vote over these grievances or continue voting along religious and caste lines as in the past.

Narender Singh Khalsa, a prominent Afghan Sikh politician, has returned to Afghanistan nearly three years after he was evacuated by the Indian govt. On 9 Apr, the announcement of his return to Kabul was made by the Taliban government's Contact Commission on Liaison with Afghan Personalities. The seven-member commission was set up by the Taliban govt. in 2022 to facilitate the return of political leaders who left after the Taliban swept to power in Kabul on 15 Aug 2021. Khalsa was elected to a reserved seat for Hindus and Sikhs in the lower house of Afghanistan's parliament in 2021. After being evacuated to India along with Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, the only female Afghan Sikh Member of Parliament, he moved to Canada. Honaryar is in exile in Europe. Although the reason for Khalsa’s return is unconfirmed, it is presumed to be part of the Taliban’s policy to ‘restore’ the private property of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs by reclaiming these properties from warlords linked to the previous West-backed regime. A Taliban official said, ‘This initiative marks a significant step toward redressing the injustices faced by religious minorities in the country, who have long been displaced and marginalized.’ Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson responded, ‘If the Taliban administration has decided to restore property rights to their citizens belonging to the Afghan Hindu and Sikh community, we see this as a positive development’ (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 1, Story 10).

Documents from Canada's spy agency Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), made public at the inquiry looking into foreign interference in Canadian elections, said India and Pakistan were involved in attempts to influence the 2019 and 2021 votes. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party won both the elections. The documents accused India of interference in 2021, when it had ‘likely conducted clandestine activities,’ including the use of an Indian govt. proxy agent in Canada. India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal refuted the allegations, ‘We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections. It is not Government of India's policy to interfere in democratic processes of other countries. In fact, on the reverse, it is Canada which has been interfering in our internal affairs.’ According to Indian media, the investigation into the allegations of foreign meddling in Canada elections has concluded that India did not interfere in Canadian politics, but Canadian press has not reported this. Canada is ranked 15 in the World Press Freedom Index, while India is ranked 161/180. In his testimony, Trudeau again brought up the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and claimed that his govt. stood up for Canadians. Trudeau accused the previous Conservative government of being ‘cozy’ with the current Indian govt. The irony is how Indian PM Modi says, ‘we will enter homes and kill’ and Trudeau says, ‘we will defend Canadian citizens.’ Both prioritize competitive nationalism over human rights. Meanwhile, after October 2023, Canada has once again reduced the number of Indian staff members in its diplomatic missions across India. This will severely impact the visas Indian citizens seek to visit Canada (SDW Vol. Vol. 2 Issue 14, Updates).

The Pakistan High Commission said on 9 Mar that the country issued 2,843 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to facilitate their participation in Vaisakhi celebrations. Under the provision of a bilateral protocol on visits to religious shrines, every year Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan and Muslim pilgrims from Pakistan visit India. In a heartwarming story outside Lahore, for more than two decades, Jitendar Singh and his family have conducted Iftar Langar – providing food for poor Muslims during the Ramazan month. In 2000, Jitendar, a pharmacist, moved with his family to Lahore from Peshawar, where Sikh families were targeted and feeling vulnerable. Jitendar said, ‘I had to leave my ancestral province (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) because of security concerns. However, I did not leave the practice of helping the destitute, especially widows and orphans. Besides langar, we also offer monthly support money, wheelchair, sewing machines and free ration for the needy.’ Meanwhile, Amir Sarfaraz Tamba, an accused in the 2013 murder of Indian death row prisoner in Pakistan, Sarabjit Singh and a close associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Sayeed, was killed by unidentified gunmen in Lahore a day after Vaisakhi. Pakistan claims India’s hand in the murder. India has not responded until now. In another incident, disturbing visuals have emerged from Lahore in which a man is being tied and assaulted. The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has denied the incident and stated, 'The man in the video is not a Sikh.' The video is by 'enemies of peace ... to create misunderstanding between Muslims and Sikhs.' (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 15, Story 8).

In an 8 Apr circular, the Gujarat government said it considers Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism as separate religions from the Hindu religion. It has asked Hindus seeking to convert to any of these three religions to seek permission of the concerned district magistrate under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (GFR) Act, 2003. The circular was triggered by the fact that several Dalits (oppressed of untouchable Hindu low-castes) in Gujarat convert to Buddhism at mass events every year. According to the circular, the Gujarat Home Ministry noticed that the district magistrate offices are arbitrarily interpreting the GFR Act. According to the state govt., the GFR Act, ‘seeks to deal with religious conversion through allurement, force, or by misrepresentation or by any other fraudulent means.’ This stance by the state govt. goes against the earlier remarks by the same govt.: ‘Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism are included within Hinduism and so the applicant is not required to take permission for (such) religious conversion.’ They also go against the Indian Constitution Article 25(2) which says: ‘the reference to Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religion, and the reference to Hindu religious institutions shall be construed accordingly.’ The issue brings to focus Act 25(B) against which the Sikh community has rallied in the past. It is high time the terminology of the law is amended to consider each of these religions independent of each other. With this change, Hindutva forces will also be restrained from claiming: Sikhs are part of Hindus. On the other hand, religion is private and so is the freedom to convert. The state must not interfere in it.

The Farmers’ Protest 2.0 at Shambhu and Khanauri on the interstate border between Haryana and Panjab has completed two months. Until now, 17 farmers have died in the protest, over 400 have been injured, and the revenue loss from toll plazas is costing the government $86K per day. Farmers had set 16 Apr as the deadline for the release of activists Anish Khatkar, Gurkirat Singh, and Navdeep Singh Jhalbera – the ‘water cannon man’ from the Farmers' Protest 1.0 (2020-21). They have not been released. On 17 Apr, the farmers blocked trains at Shambhu railway station. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on 9 Apr announced it has prepared a questionnaire for BJP candidates. SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said farmers do not have any personal enmity with the BJP but they will pose questions to its candidates if they come to seek their votes. The 11-point questionnaire will be put up at the entry point of all villages. The questions are on legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price, Lakhimpur Kheri mowing down of farmers, farm loan waivers, why roads were blocked to prevent farmers from going to Delhi, and so on. Earlier on 7 Apr, several Panjab farm union leaders, including Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Morcha secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher, were detained at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The delegation of farm union leaders had landed at Coimbatore to participate in a planned kalash yatra (final journey) of Shubhkaran Singh killed in the attack by security forces in February this year at the Khanauri border. Upon being released, before starting the yatra, the farm union leaders held a protest against the Indian govt. outside the office of the Coimbatore district collector. (SDW Vol. Vol. 2 Issue 15, Story 2).

For the upcoming Indian general elections, last week SAD fielded seven candidates, INC fielded six candidates, and AAP fielded four more candidates in addition to earlier five out of the total thirteen seats. SAD is fielding senior party leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib and Daljit Singh Cheema from Gurdaspur. INC is fielding Sukhpal Khaira from AAP CM Bhagwant Mann’s bastion Sangrur and former INC CM Charanjit Singh Channi from Jalandhar. In Amritsar, former BJP leader Anil Joshi will take on stalwart Sikh leader Teja Singh Samundri’s grandson Taranjit Singh Sandhu fielded by BJP, both will face sitting MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla. In many seats, turncoats are taking on each other. In Patiala, former AAP leader and MP Dharamvir Gandhi now from INC is pitted against former INC leader and MP Preneet Kaur now fielded by BJP. AAP legislator Jagdeep Singh Goldy Kamboj’s father Surinder Kamboj joined the BSP and the Mayawati-led party’s candidate from Ferozepur. Indian Administrative Service officer and senior SAD leader Sikander Singh Maluka's daughter-in-law Parampal Kaur Sidhu has joined BJP and is contesting from Bathinda. Meanwhile, on 16 Apr the Indian Supreme Court heard a slew of cases on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail. That the voting process in India is not transparent has been a position held by the opposition in India, including the BJP when it was out of power. The thrust of the arguments is that individuals or parties in power can manipulate the machines. The court agreed that ‘human intervention creates problems’ but seems inclined towards EVMs over fears of booth capturing if paper ballots are allowed and the pragmatics of 1B citizens voting. The next hearing is 18 Apr. Elections begin 19 Apr (SDW Vol. Vol. 2 Issue 12, Story 9).

In March 2024, nearly 90% of the applicants who appeared for the Panjabi language eligibility test — mandatory for getting a govt. job in Panjab — failed the examination. The exam is compulsory for those aspiring for Group C and D posts of the Panjab govt. if they have not studied Panjabi at matriculation-level. The exam comprises two papers: grammar and technical, each for 75 marks. A candidate is required to secure a minimum of 25 marks (33%) in each to pass. 69 students appeared in the examination of which only 7 (10%) could pass. Panjab language department director Harpreet Kaur said, ‘Majority of the applicants made a lot of spelling mistakes.' The exam is conducted four times a year. Meanwhile, in a case of the AAP versus SAD battles in the state, a senior secondary school in Chak Suhele Wala village in Jalalabad constituency, where SAD leader Vardev Singh Mann is the key management board member, has not been allowed to admit students this year. In January 2024 the Panjab govt. canceled its No Objection Certificate. In February 2024 the Central Board of Secondary Education disqualified the school. In March, the admissions to the school under the Right to Education stopped. The school, built over five acres of panchayat (village-woned) land, functional since 1999 could not start the new academic session risking the future of more than 2,500 students coming from Muktsar, Jalalabad, Fazilka, Abohar and even from nearby Haryana villages. Incidentally, Vardev’s father Zora Singh Mann was a three-term MP of Ferozepur.

Over 100 pharmaceutical micro, small, and medium enterprises in Panjab might close down as they have failed to comply with the revised Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) prescribed by the govt. The GMP is framed by the World Health Organization. These units are located mostly in Ludhiana, SAS Nagar, and Amritsar. While the big formulation units and bulk drug units have managed to upgrade themselves, the smaller units say that they do not have the financial resources. Jagdeep Singh, secretary general of the Pharma Industries Confederation said, ‘Small units work on very thin profit margins. They cannot afford $360K to $1.2M to make the modifications. If the deadline is extended beyond December, they will get some breathing space.’ In the 2000s, bulk of the pharmaceutical manufacturers shifted from Panjab to neighboring Himachal Pradesh, which provided better facilities. Singh said, ‘Even in Himachal Pradesh, 410 smaller units have been forced to exit from the business. Only 255 units have international certifications.’ Meanwhile, in the first 10 days of April, temperatures rose in Panjab, which led to a 26% to 31% jump in power consumption. As per the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited data, the power consumption in the state was 138 MU on 1 Apr, which rose to 155 MU on 9 Apr. Last year, on the corresponding day, the consumption was 123 MU. This week the Indian Metrology Department has issued storm and rain warnings which will be detrimental to the wheat crop being harvested.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on 9 Apr installed the portrait of Allah Yaar Khan Jogi, a poet, at the Central Sikh Museum on the premises of Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar. Jogi wrote the marsiya (elegy) for the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh. Three more portraits were installed at the museum including Baba Hazara Singh, former Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Harcharan Singh Mahlon, and Professor Kartar Singh. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghubir Singh unveiled the portraits. He said, ‘Allah Yaar Khan Yogi has expressed the sacrifices of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, in poetic form which is an inspiration for the Sikh Sangat.’ Jogi wrote two compositions. Shahidan-e-Wafa describes the sacrifice of younger sons Sahibzada Jorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fathe Singh at Sarhind. Ganj-e-Shahidan depicts the valor of the elder sons Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh in the battle of Chamkaur. Meanwhile in London, The Wallace Collection is hosting artifacts of the Sikh warrior king, Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), Lion of the Panjab. The collection includes a watered steel sword with walrus ivory handle, a helmet with chain mail, a cuirass, and an enormous almost six foot long musket from the Royal Armories. Ranjit Singh’s warrior record is center stage in this engaging exhibition. Part of Ranjit Singh’s genius was in attracting foreign soldiers to his entourage including French Napoleonic officers and Britons. Ranjit Singh allowed the foreigners to keep their Christian faith; they just had to have beards and marry Panjabi women.