Trudeau Spurs Facebook Ban Debate

Soon after the Canadian PM's announcement that India was involved in Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder, in Canada, Sikh Facebook users who posted about Nijjar’s assassination saw their posts disappear and accounts suspended in response to legal demands by the Indian government. Just after PM Trudeau’s announcement, the Congress which is leading the opposition in the country into an alliance against the BJP betrayed itself. The party prioritized aligning with the ruling party’s national security narrative over speaking out against hostility by India in a foreign country. It conveniently forgot its legacy in Panjab: the rejection of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution (federalism for India), the attack on Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) and over 100 Gurdwaras across Panjab, the Sikh genocide throughout India, the militancy in Panjab, and thousands of disappearances and extrajudicial killings. The current Pro-Khalistan movement is deeply linked to all these historic events. In Panjab, former Congress CM Charanjit Singh Channi has targeted the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party government over their silence on the issue.

In 2019, the Indian government banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a pro-Khalistan organization, and chief organizer of the Khalistan Referendum across the world. The government declared its Legal Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannu a terrorist. On 21 Sep, Pannu threatened Hindus of Indian origin in Canada and asked them to leave Canada. Pannu released a video in which he said, ‘You (Canadian Hindus of Indian origin) not only support India but you are also supporting the suppression of speech and expression of pro-Khalistan Sikhs.’ Pannu also announced a Kill India Referendum in Vancouver on 29 Oct. On 23 Sep, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seized Pannu’s properties in Amritsar and Chandigarh. An Indian-origin dual citizen of Canada and the US, Pannu has no authority to issue diktats to anyone regarding who must leave Canada. Sikhs all over the world have vehemently opposed Pannu’s call against the Hindus and put out videos and other messages.

The Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) has estimated that farmers in the country lost significantly after the government dumped wheat in the market in a bid to control surging inflation. In March 2023, CPI inflation fell to a 15-month low of 5.66 percent compared to 6.95 percent reported a year back. This was at the cost of farmers. In 2022-23, India produced 112 metric tonnes of wheat. Close to half of which was Panjab’s contribution. In 2023-24, a quintal of wheat was sold at a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,125, and at Rs 2,673 in the open market. In February this year, the government launched the open market sale scheme (OMSS) to sell wheat at Rs 2,350 per quintal, further lowered to Rs 2,150 per quintal. Without this market intervention, farmers could have potentially earned an additional Rs 548 per quintal (Rs 2,673 minus Rs 2,125) resulting in a loss of around Rs 40,000 crore.

A recent study conducted in Panjab has revealed a high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among adolescent schoolgirls all between 15 and 17 years of age. 600 female students from government and private schools of Bathinda district were enrolled in the study. The results show 68% of participants experienced stress; 50.8% indicated varying degrees of depression; and 58.7% reported anxiety. Commerce students exhibited the highest prevalence of these mental health issues. The study - Stress, Depression, and Anxiety of Female Adolescents of Higher Senior Secondary School: A Cross Sectional Comparative Study of Humanities, Commerce, and Science Streams - has been published in the Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Science. A 2016-17 state-wide study National Mental Health Survey: Panjab among adults revealed one out of eight Panjabis suffered from mental illness and 80% of Panjabis were not getting any access to treatment. Previous and current studies show Panjab is a ticking mental health time bomb.

In 2019, following the 2019 Pulwama attack, India revoked Pakistan’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) status and imposed a 200% duty on non-essential goods. However, bilateral trade between India and Pakistan continues through Mumbai and Gautam Adani’s (Prime Minister's ally) Mundra ports. Panjab’s peasantry, traders, transporters, and laborers have been impacted by limiting the trade through two land routes – Attari Wagah and Hussainiwala. Distance between Mumbai and Karachi is 1037 kilometers and between Mundra and Karachi is 516 kilometers. The distance between Amritsar and Lahore is 54 kilometers and Ferozepur to Kasur is 25 kilometers. Trade via Panjab is cheaper and beneficial for north India's economy. The World Trade Organisation states while current India-Pakistan trade is at $3 billion, the possibility of $37 billion exists. On 20 Sep, Kirti Kisan Union, held rallies at Amritsar and Ferozepur to demand farmers should be allowed to sell their produce directly using passports through the Attari-Wagah and Hussainiwala routes.

Contractual employees of the Panjab Roadways and PEPSU Road Transportation Corporation went on a strike on 20 Sep with various demands, including a hike in pay. 2,500 buses of Panjab Roadways and the PRTC were off the roads in view of the strike call. There are over 7,500 contractual workers in the various Panjab roadway(s). Owing to the grave inconvenience caused to commuters, the government agreed to a 5% hike in their salary and the protesting workers joined work on 21 Sep. In the last year and a half of the AAP government, Panjab has seen regular protests by the Roadways employees, teachers, students, farmers, and so on. These protests are indicative of how the incumbent government is unable to govern the state. There is grave unrest in every section of the state. The opposition in Panjab is accusing the incumbent AAP government of using Panjab funds to fight elections in other states.

The special session starting on 18 Sep saw both Houses remembering the Parliament's journey of 75 years - achievements, experiences, memories, and learnings. In keeping with the current right-wing government’s thrust on turning India into a Hindu nation, the shift to the new Parliament building took place on 19 Sep which was a festival of Lord Ganesha – the Hindu God of beginnings. After many aborted attempts in the last 28 years, the government brought in the Women's Reservation Bill but with riders: no reservation for the Other Backward Class (over 50% of the population that is educationally and socially behind) - the reason why the Bill failed earlier - and the Bill will be implemented only after the next census and the national delimitation exercise. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin has called the delimitation exercise based solely on population – which will give extra seats to north Indian states – a Damocles Sword hanging on the southern states for maintaining better developmental indices. If the government indeed wanted better representation for women, the Bill could have been in effect by 2024.

Ukraine has targeted one of India's leading companies engaged in diamond manufacturing and exporting, Gujrati-owned Shree Ramkrishna Exports Private Limited (SRK), and put it on the list of international war sponsors. Ukraine has accused the company of continuing to purchase precious stones from Russia thus defying sanctions imposed on the nation. Kyiv stated such gemstones are cut and polished in countries like India. SRK countered the allegations by the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention, claiming that it had consistently operated within the framework of the national and international guidelines, complying with all regulations issued by the UN, Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury. The move by Kyiv can be seen as a response to the G-20 Delhi Declaration that mentioned the Ukraine war four times but under India’s pressure did not mention the aggressor Russia. Ukraine is a wheat powerhouse, the country feeds Europe. When the war started, Panjab - which feeds India - had a great scope to directly sell wheat internationally. The Panjab government did not even bring up the proposal with the Centre. The PM’s home state has used the opportunity to trade in crude oil and diamonds.

The Asian Games are on in China and the host country has not given permission to three Indian martial arts athletes from India to attend the games in Hangzhou. The three women, competing as wushu fighters, are from the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, a region claimed almost in full by Beijing as South Tibet. Earlier in July, the Indian wushu team had not been allowed to travel to the Chinese city of Chengdu for the World University Games. The three athletes were issued stapled, rather than pasted, visas – an indication that Beijing does not recognize India’s territorial claim over Arunachal Pradesh. In July 2020, China entered Indian territory at the Galwan post and killed twenty soldiers. PM Modi had refrained from naming China in the Parliament. Since then, in spite of multiple rounds of talks between India and China, regions like Aksai Chin, Pangong Lake fingers in Ladakh, and now Arunachal Pradesh remain contested. This is a major embarrassment for India over its territorial claims and foreign affairs. In the Asian games, breaking the world record by British shooter Seonaid McIntosh of 467 points, Panjab's Sift Kaur Samra of Faridkot shot 469.6 in the final women's 50-meter rifle 3 position event to clinch India’s first individual Gold medal.

On 5 Aug 2019, the Central government abrogated Article 370 and 35A, and reduced Jammu and Kashmir into a union territory. It placed Kashmir’s top cleric and head of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, under house arrest. Last week, upon the cleric challenging the orders in the High Court and the court asking the administration for a response, his house arrest was lifted. This decision to free Mirwaiz is the central government’s goodwill gesture towards the Kashmiri people. This development must be seen in light of the Supreme Court hearings on the abrogation of Articles and restoration of statehood. The court had asked the government when they would conduct elections in the region. Four years back, the government that promised to stamp out militancy did not have a good report card. Recent encounters with insurgents have ended in the death of two senior Army officers and one senior police officer. This is similar to how in Panjab the central government has created more issues and solved none.