Ten CMs Gather in Panjab

On 27 Jul, 10 Chief Ministers of non-BJP ruled states and union territories – including Bhagwant Singh Mann from Panjab – boycotted the NITI Ayog (earlier Planning Commission) meeting. The 9^thNITI Ayog Governing Council meeting was chaired by PM Narendra Modi. The opposition CMs are unhappy with the budget, which favored National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies – Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh and Janata Dal United (JDU) in Bihar – and hardly offered anything to the other states (SDW Vol 2 Issue 30, Story 3). BJP ally CM Nitish Kumar also skipped the meeting – apparently because NDA refused special category status to Bihar. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin said, ‘The budget has punished those who did not vote for BJP.’ Panjab CM Mann said, ‘The decision was taken after the Union Budget failed to allocate funds to Panjab despite the state’s significant contributions to the nation.’ Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was the only opposition leader to attend the meeting. However, Banerjee was allotted only 5 minutes to speak while BJP ally Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu spoke for more than 20. As soon as Banerjee's time was up, the mic was cut. Angry at the insult, Banerjee walked out. The NITI Ayog has not made the footage of the meeting public. In the meeting, PM Modi said, ‘The dream of a Viksit Bharat 2047 (developed India) can be achieved only through the combined efforts of all States.’ Yet, the Budget and the BJP's own conduct defeats the very purpose of the meeting and the lofty goal the PM has set.

The Indian Parliament is in its Monsoon Session. On 23 Jul, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget. Panjab MPs across party lines responded and raised the state’s critical issues. Four-time SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal asked for compensation for the water that Panjab gives to Rajasthan. She raised issues with budgetary discrimination even for natural calamities. She said, in 2023 when water was in excess, the Bhakra Dam flooded Panjab. But in the last four decades, whenever water is deficient, the Satluj Yamuna Link canal issue becomes live. She spoke about Chandigarh being denied as capital of Panjab. Two-time INC MP Dharamveer Gandhi said India is a union of states because states agreed to form the nation. For the last decade BJP has centralized powers and denied states their rights. He pointed at how Panjab’s Green Revolution fed the country for five decades but neighboring states got ‘special status’ to set up industry. Panjab did not even get agro-processing units and is now devastated. He said farmers are being structurally squeezed to benefit big corporations who are friends of the BJP. In the Farmers’ Protest 1.0 (2020-21), 730 people died, yet legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price has still not been implemented. He demanded funds for MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act – an employment generation scheme). First-time AAP MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer raised concerns over a 27% slash in subsidies on fertilizers and demanded a special package for Panjab. His colleague from AAP, Malvinder Singh Kang, asked for opening the Wagah border for betterment of all of North India. The level of their speeches indicates the MPs are cued into Panjab’s issues and have offered some solutions. Sadly, they expend energy fighting each other instead of working together for Panjab.

One 25 Jul, in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament), INC MP and former Panjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi questioned the sincerity of the BJP by pointing out the absence of the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the Finance Minister when he was responding to the Budget. He spoke about the falling rupee and rising fuel prices and said, ‘They (BJP) speak about Emergency every day. But what about the undeclared Emergency in the country today?...This too is an Emergency that a man who was elected as an MP by 200K people in Panjab is behind bars under the NSA (National Security Act). He is unable to present the views of the people of his constituency.’ The BJP criticized Channi’s remarks, accusing the INC of supporting separatists. The INC clarified that Channi’s views were personal and not reflective of party stance. Channi also likened BJP to the East India Company. Union Minister of State for Railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu objected. Channi addressed him and said, ‘Your late father (instead of grandfather) was a martyr but he actually died the day you left the INC.’ Bittu earlier won MP elections twice as an INC candidate and joined BJP just before the recent elections. His grandfather Beant Singh was also an INC Panjab CM, assassinated in 1995. Bittu responded, ‘My grandfather laid down his life for the country, not for INC.’ The situation escalated when Bittu approached the well of the house saying, ‘Face me if you have courage.’

On 27 Jul, President of India Droupadi Murmu appointed six new Governors and reshuffled three others. Gulab Chand Kataria has been appointed the new Governor of Panjab, replacing Banwarilal Purohit. Kataria has also been appointed Administrator of the Chandigarh union territory. The relations between Panjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann and Governor Purohit had remained frosty since Feb 2023, when the Governor visited the border areas and made a statement that drugs were available freely and had also reached schools. In the past year and half, CM and Governor confronted each other over pending Bills, Assembly session dates and other administrative issues (SDW Vol 1 Issue 6, Story 5). In August 2023, Purohit warned he would implement President’s Rule in Panjab. On 3 Feb, Purohit resigned, but the President did not accept the resignation (SDW Vol 2 Issue 6, Story 1). While CM Mann skipped Purohit’s farewell on 30 Jul, he welcomed Kataria – a senior BJP leader from Rajasthan with deep roots in the BJP’s mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He has been Member of Legislative Assembly eight times, served as minister multiple times, been Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly and last served as Governor of Assam. His name also figures in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case in which fearing witness intimidation, the Maharashtra High Court (MHC) ordered current Home Minister of India, Amit Shah to leave Gujarat. In that case, MHC found Kataria not guilty due to insufficient evidence. Kataria will take oath as the 30^th Governor of Panjab on 31 Jul. With BJP making forays into Panjab and the state govt. facing issues over funding from the central govt., the appointment of a hardcore Hindutva loyalist means CM Mann’s tight-rope walk has extended.

On 25 Jul, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal appeared before the Akal Takht (Eternal Throne, Sikh Seat of Justice and Authority) and submitted a written explanation for his past mistakes and for failing to adequately represent the Sikh community. This is in response to the Akal Takht summoning him after rebel Akali leaders submitted a written apology on 15 Jul (SDW Vol 2 Issue 30, Story 2). A spokesperson of the Akal Takht said the letter ‘will be discussed at the meeting of the Sikh clergy, which will be held in the coming days.’ Badal has also dissolved the SAD core committee in order to reorganize the party. The voices against Badal’s leadership are rising even beyond SAD. On 22 Jul, Former MP Rajdev Singh Khalsa – who was the first to announce Amritpal Singh would contest Khadoor Sahib elections – proposed Jasbir Singh Rode, nephew of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and former Akal Takht jathedar, as the new president of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Speaking at a remembrance service for Bhindranwale’s brother Harjit Singh in Rode village, Moga district, Khalsa emphasized SAD could only be strengthened under Rode’s leadership. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Dhami and Faridkot MP Sarabjit Singh Khalsa Maloya attended the event. The next day, in an interview, MP Maloya called for the creation of a new panthic outfit to contest SGPC elections. Meanwhile, AAP has appointed senior leaders to oversee four constituencies where Assembly by-polls are due as MLAs from them are now Members of Parliament.

On 28 Jul, more than 55K Canadian Sikhs voted in the Khalistan Referendum at the Calgary Municipal Plaza. According to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), the 13^th such Referendum was dedicated to nine pro-Khalistan Canadian Sikhs who have been assassinated by India. The referendum campaign, supervised by the Punjab Referendum Commission, has already held votes in Geneva, Paris, Rome, Milan, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Houston, Brampton, Mississauga, Malton, and Surrey. The Referendum is non-binding, not legally enforceable. India said the Referendum was taking place on govt. land and Canada must stop it. Ian Fleming, director, corporate properties and buildings, City of Calgary said, ‘Individuals and organizations can use the Plaza without permission, application or permit if they adhere to the expectations and guidelines of appropriate activities and behavior.’ Meanwhile, Indian Rajya Sabha (Upper House) Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP from Kerala V Sivadasan has reported receiving a threatening call from SFJ. In a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Sivadasan detailed the call received on 21 Jul at Indira Gandhi International airport, New Delhi. ‘The caller,’ Sivadasan said, ‘threatened to bombard the Indian Parliament to Red Fort with the Khalistan Referendum messages.’ Similarly, Indian-origin Canadian MP Chandra Arya – who condemned the Referendum and the anti-India graffiti at the Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton, Alberta – claimed Gurpatwant Singh Pannun from SFJ had released a video demanding that Arya and his Hindu-Canadian friends go back to India. The Indian Consulate in Vancouver has condemned the temple defacement and called for an investigation. Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha organization which manages the temple has not responded to the temple vandalism. No one has been charged in these vandalism cases which coincide with Khalistan Referendum, the video footage of the temple incidents haven’t been made public, and a Sikh organization had earlier announced a $10K CAD award for any information.

On 10 Jul, the Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) ordered Haryana to remove barricades from the Shambu inter-state Haryana-Panjab border. On 24 Jul, the Supreme Court (SC) of India asked Haryana to maintain status quo on the border. The PHHC had upheld the right of the farmers to protest and go to Delhi, saying, ‘The state should wake up’ (SDW Vol 2 Issue 28, Story 3). The SC said there is a trust deficit between farmers and the govt, and there is need for a ‘neutral umpire’ who can inspire confidence between the two groups. Five years ago, during the anti Citizenship Amendment Act protests, an SC panel tried to mediate between protesters and the govt. A year later, SC ruled, ‘Public places cannot be occupied indefinitely.’ The SC refused to even review its order. By that logic, can a state govt. block a national highway permanently? As far as farmers’ issues go, the Indian govt. stand on not offering legal Minimum Support Price and loan waiver is well-known. The SC order is the reason even before or during Farmers’ Protest 1.0 (2020-21) the farmers did not approach the courts. Now that PHHC has said it is not farmers but the govt. that is blocking the road, the shopkeepers of Ambala – initial supporters of farmers who later detracted because their businesses are affected – are up in arms against the BJP govt. in Haryana. Panjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann quipped, ‘If protesting farmers are not allowed to enter Delhi, should I send them to Lahore?’

On 24 Jul, a delegation of farmer leaders met INC leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Parliament House complex to discuss issues affecting farmers in India. These farmers are aligned with Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and come from Panjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. The delegation sought a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP). Gandhi assured them that the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc would pressure the govt. to ensure the legal guarantee. Accompanying Gandhi in the meeting were INC general secretary KC Venugopal, former Panjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, Panjab INC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, and others. Warring said Gandhi would raise farmers' issues in Parliament and, if necessary, bring a private member’s Bill. On 29 Jul, in his response to the Budget in the Lok Sabha (Lower House), Gandhi said they will bring a Bill on legal MSP within this term of the govt. Earlier in the day, Gandhi alleged farmer leaders invited by him were not allowed inside Parliament. Warring noted, ‘They have all rights to come to Delhi and protest.’ As per rules, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha gives the permission to visitors. Meanwhile SAD leader MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has introduced a private member bill seeking legal guarantee for MSP. However, the text of the bill is not available and it cannot be confirmed if the letter of the bill matches the farmers’ expectations. SAD is not part of the INDIA bloc.

In 2024, the water levels in Panjab’s major reservoirs have significantly decreased compared to 2023. The Bhakra reservoir’s current level is 1,600 feet, down from 1,655 last year. The Ranjit Sagar reservoir has dropped to 1,618 feet from 1,720. The Pong Dam’s water level is at 1,315 feet from 1,375. Over the past two months, despite all four hydroelectric units at Ranjit Sagar operating, the inflow is less than the outflow. Panjab has received less than half of its normal monsoon rainfall this July, leading to a surge in electricity demand, exceeding 15K MW daily. Even well water is decreasing, indicating a sharp dip in the water table. Of the 176 monitored wells in Panjab, 115 (65%) have registered a fall in water level, 61 wells (34%) have registered a rise in water level. The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) monitored study shows the water table in the state is depleting at an annual average of 51 cm. Data on Panjab was shared by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti (Water Resources) Raj Bhushan Choudhary in reply to a question by Rajya Sabha (Upper House) member from Panjab, Raghav Chadha, during the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament. Choudhary said no impact assessment study data was available regarding the effect of falling water table on paddy cultivation and farmers in the Malwa region of Panjab. According to the minister, groundwater samples showed dangerous concentrations of contaminants like nitrate, iron, arsenic, selenium, chromium, manganese, nickel, cadmium, lead, and uranium, all exceeding permissible limits set by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Their presence poses severe health risks (SDW Vol 2 Issue 30, Story 7).

Those Who Stayed: The Sikhs of Kashmir by Bupinder Singh Bali explores the lives of the Sikh community in Kashmir, focusing on their historical, social, and political dimensions. Bali depicts historical events that have shaped Kashmir’s current turmoil, including the 1947 partition, the tribal invasion, and the 1989 insurgency. The narrative highlights the community’s struggles, like the Chattisinghpora Massacre, while also discussing the psychological and emotional toll of living in a conflict zone. Bali, a school teacher in Srinagar, broke down when on 8 Oct 2021 Supinder Kour, who served as a school principal, was murdered by militants. Bali knew Kour personally; the killing showed him how vulnerable he is in his profession. Decades back, he lost two uncles to militancy. His family has been perpetually shuttling between Srinagar and Jammu. Schools in Kashmir bear immense pressure from authorities and are easy targets for militants. Sikhs in Kashmir have remained non-partisan for decades. They did not have a mass exodus like Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 but are a micro-minority, for whom exodus is now due to economic compulsions and govt. and administrative apathy. Bali balances his narrative between personal anecdotes and interviews, providing a human face to the community’s plight. The book addresses overwhelming military presence and laws like the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, critiquing their impact on human rights. Bali captures the resilience and bravery of Sikhs who chose to remain in Kashmir, offering a powerful counter-narrative to fear and victimhood.