A mere mention of India’s Punjab takes the mind to an agrarian region known for its grandeur. The spicy cuisines, traditional lively celebrations, and a generous and kind-hearted devout society have largely defined Punjabi lifestyle to the world for centuries.
Besides producing exceptional sportspersons, Punjab's contribution to the Indian Armed Forces is considered as valuable as its significance of being the food bowl of the country.
Punjab at a Glance
A visit to Punjab shows the cheerful spirit that defined the state for ages, despite being badly interrupted during a painful phase of militancy in the '80s, which continues unabated until today.
Contrary to the nightmarish phase of militancy of the past, today locals are found enjoying the nightlife or any favorite place fearlessly. Be it youngsters or even the elderly, they can commute to distant places their wished way.
Sikhs, Hindus or others, they look literally married to the concept of coexistence like the earliest days. All of the Hindus festivals of 'Holi' or 'Diwali' or Sikhs festivals of 'Guru Purab' or the harvest festival of 'Vaisakhi' are celebrated in harmony.
However, the common Punjabi grudge is about poor infrastructure, inadequate educational and employment opportunities, brain-drain, agricultural reforms, water-sharing with neighboring states, and unregulated drug addiction.
The state government lacks enough funds and puts the onus on the federal government, which demands transparency and a proper account of millions of rupees already given to Punjab, alleged local political pundits.
The failure of every Punjab state government to mitigate public concerns itself, only to blame the federal government of bias, has created a space for radical forces to chip in.
Highlighting a sense of injustice, missing opportunities, or sacrilegious incidents occasionally, various fringe elements win over gullible youths. They tap the public angst against the government, mix it with secessionist demand like Khalistan, and often draw media publicity around key cultural or festive occasions despite their miniscule strength, opines local intelligentsia.
However, a conversation with the Punjabis reveals that the desire to create Khalistan, a sovereign state for Sikhs, has never gained currency in the general psyche of the 33 million locals. The occasional popping up of fringe elements remains limited to a few hundred radicals. They usually rehash their relevance via protests or warnings to the government.
Recently, Punjab came into the spotlight after Amritpal Singh, a self-proclaimed religious Sikh preacher and Khalistan supporter, targeted a police station on March 18 to free his aides. A 29-year-old leading an attack on Ajnala Police Station, near Amritsar city and his supporters brandishing swords and guns, sent shockwaves all around. It sparked a general concern if the radical Khalistan movement of the '80s that necessitated an army operation is still smoldering.
Amid public speculations about a resurgence of radical Khalistan forces, Sputnik tried to explore the ground reality.
Khalistan Movement’s Revival
As per Major General (Retd.) G. D. Bakshi, who was in Punjab at the height of militancy in 1985, "As an ideology, Khalistan is dead...It is more alive in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom -- where it is being kept alive by intelligence agencies by the generous funding of Pakistan."
Appreciating Sikhs’ sense of judgment, he said: "They have seen what's happening to Pakistan. It is a sinking state. Which person in his right mind would want to go and join a state like Pakistan? They can't feed themselves. Will they feed the Sikhs?"
Local journalists point out that none of the major political parties -- Congress, BJP, AAP, Akali Dal -- mentioned Khalistan in poll manifestos. They say, it’s simply because it’s not a popular issue here in Punjab.
Asked about the Bhindranwale-led militancy, or Khalistan 1.0 in the 1980s, can it be construed as Amritpal Singh-led Khalistan 2.0 to revive the separatist movement, Maj. Gen. Bakshi said: "There is nothing internal about it. It is entirely the creation of Pakistan's spy agency ISI. There seem to be some Western intelligence agencies involved."
He pointed out billionaire George Soros reportedly putting out $2 billion to destabilize the Modi government. "So, this seems to be a larger plot."
"Not just the ISI but other Western agencies are involved: Canada [is] giving tacit support, Australia comes within, the United States [too], this is what is adding to the worrying external dimension of this problem," he stated.
Has Media Enlarged Amritpal Singh?
Dr. Jagroop Sakhon, a noted academic and former political science professor at Guru Nanak Dev University, Punjab, opined that a few hundred or thousand people from a big state or even diaspora supporting someone cannot be a reflection of the general mindset of the entire Sikh community.
How Prominent is the Khalistan Movement in Punjab?
Referring to the ground reality, Dr. Sakhon said that one needs to just observe the impact of the officiating Jathedar's (head of the highest temporal seat of Sikhs), Akal Takht, warning to the Punjab government for releasing jailed Sikh youths in 24 hours time, linked to Amritpal Singh's case.
"There has been no violent protest in terms of stopping of trains or market shutdowns or anything similar to farmer protests of the recent past. It shows the kind of non-existing sway these people have in public at large," he said.
Some of the journalists in Punjab, however, agree since there is a big void in terms of Sikh leadership, especially in rural Punjab, where there are a lot of gullible people, such elements can provoke anti-central government sentiments over the blame of missing visible development.
Asked if the occasional Khalistan protests or a youngster raising it in India can affect the 2024 parliamentary elections, noted Punjabi journalist Ravinder Singh Robin, remarked: "2024 is too far away. And the public has a short memory."