Statement By Dal Khalsa On The Struggle

[Prem]

I think this is the right thing to do and a good move.

Separatist Sikh group wants to shun violence

Chandigarh: Dal Khalsa, a Sikh group that spearheaded a movement for a separate Sikh homeland for 25 years, announced yesterday that it wanted to shed its hardline image to involve more people.

Dal Khalsa would strive to change its image and work for social causes like female foeticide, drug abuse and education in rural Punjab, its newly elected president Satnam Singh said.

He invited people, also from other faiths including Hinduism, to join the movement.

In yesterday's election held here, Satnam Singh, the man who hijacked an Indian Airlines flight to Pakistan in 1981, replaced another hijacker — Gajinder Singh — who had been hiding in Pakistan for several years.

Though the radical organisation would not give up its call for a separate "Khalistan", Satnam Singh said the goal should be achieved through peaceful and democratic means and not by armed movement of the kind it led in Punjab during the 1980s and 1990s.

[>Bikramjit Singh<]

I agree, in the post 9/11 world violence will never achieve any objective. The Dal Khalsa is still struggling for Khalistan, but it will be a peaceful struggle similar to other liberation struggles around the world. Dal Khalsa needs to get like minded parties such as Akali Dal (Amritsar), Babbar Khalsa, Sikh students organisations as well as Kisan unions such as BKU on the same platform. Both sets of ruling parties the Congress as well as Akali Dal - BJP have been failures. The Sikhs know this but they only votes for these blocs because they think that the radical parties have no chance of winning. Like any movement the Khalistan movement has to once again become a grass roots movement such as it was during the 80's minus the violence. The biggest nightmare of Rajiv Gandhi before the 1991 elections was that the Khalistan movement would put candidates up for Punjab assemby elections and win a majority and pass an independence resolution in the Punjab assembly. He knew that once that happened no amount of army or police repression could stop this and the outside world would stop India from arresting or killing legally elected political representatives. This is why Rajiv countermanded the 1991 poll in Punjab which if the Khalistanis had not been politically naive and attacked candidates and boycotted it, a loose coalition of separatists could have won. The rest as they say could have been history and today we would not be discussing whether Khalistan should be created because it would already have been created.

[Prem]

Bikramjit Singh

It is to be welcomed for the positive energy that they can bring to bear on the issues facing Sikhs - gender foeticide and drugs in particular.

And when I say energy, I mean energy. These guys can speak with passion and commitment on these issues.

Let Khalistan play itself in the arena of peaceful and democratic politics.

Although your assessment of whether 1991 would have produced the result you say if the Khalistanis had campaigned peacefully is optimistic. There should never be a return to the violence of the old days - it taints the whole idea of Khalistan and the Dal Khalsa reaching out to Hindus is also a good step.

[>Bikramjit Singh<]

Reaching out to Hindus is a good step. For the most part the majority of Punjabi Hindus are not anti-Sikh, it is the small numbers of Arya Samaji, Congressi and communists that are against Sikhs.

The concept of a taliban style Khalistan is a scare tactic utilised by the Indian govt which has worked in alienating many Hindus and even Sikhs away from the concept. A Khalistan run along the lines of Halemi Raj of Guru Arjan Devji with Sarbat Da Bhalla as a core concept can hold no danger for the Hindus.

As for 1991, the reason for my optimism is that I was visiting Punjab at that time. Just as 7 months after the countermanded poll only 10% of the electorate voted after the boycott by Khalistani organisations it seems a sensible assumption to think that if the movement could make 90% not vote, they could at least have made 60-70% vote for their candidates.

[Prem]

Lets see what happens. We cannot return to how it was ever again.

This is a welcome move by Dal Khalsa and it is a sign of their generosity of spirit and heart that they hold out the hand of friendship and work to achieve their beliefs by democratic means.

[Prem]

Just as 7 months after the countermanded poll only 10% of the electorate voted after the boycott by Khalistani organisations it seems a sensible assumption to think that if the movement could make 90% not vote, they could at least have made 60-70% vote for their candidates.

What extent was the boycott due to the fear of violence put about by fringe elements who as you said, attacked the process and scared people off for fear of being attacked?

Anyway, as I said, that is the past - the thing is to look to the future. That means accepting the will of the Sikhs and the people of Punjab through the ballot box - democracy without threat or scaremongering or intimidation from any party - either activists or by the state.

And it is a sign of the maturity of the leadership that they have made this decision, reassure Punjabi Hindus, and have stated the need to counteract the backward forces that afflict Punjabis in terms of drugs and female foeticide. These are urgent issues that have taken on the urgency of a crisis - it is a sign of absolute shame that Sikhs have the lowest female to male ratio in India considering we take pride in treating women with equality and dignity in contrast to the other religions of India - it is shocking and shameful that we have put ourselves in this position.

Attracting investment for business and employment is one factor that can help keep listless youth away from drugs too - we need a stable and secure Punjab for that to happen. Dal Khalsa have shown they have the will to tackle the issues - and these people have the energy and commitment to do something at grassroots level if need be.

[Prem]

This is Gajinder Singh's resignation letter from the post of chairman of the Dal Khalsa. I want to highlight one sentence in particular.

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TO: Members of the Executive Committee, Dal Khalsa, Punjab

Dear Brothers:

Today when Dal Khalsa is on its own feet, and well placed in Sikh politics, I wish to resign to give chance to some new associate to head the party. It was never my wish to stick to the post of president/chairman for the whole of my life.

I reorganized Dal Khalsa in 1986 and accepted the post of chairman in the best interest of the party. When I reorganized the party, it was a non-entity in Sikh politics - only [a] few small groups were working under the name of the Dal Khalsa.

I always wished to change the political culture of the Sikh nation, where heads of the organisations/parties leave posts only with their physical death or political death. In this spirit, and respecting the constitution adopted by the party four years ago with my consent, I request members of the executive committee of the Dal Khalsa to accept my resignation. I also request the party delegates to elect a new president in the coming 27th annual meet of the organization slated [for] October 2 at Chandigarh, to lead the party in a democratic way to establish new healthy traditions in Sikh politics.

I would also like to welcome Human Rights and Democracy Forum chairman Mr. Jaspal Singh Dhillon into the party fold.

I thank all my associates who had always given great love and respect to me. Wishing all of you the success for the next term.

Brother

Gajinder Singh

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It seems to me that he is a man of integrity - and standing by his word of fostering a truly democratic ethos where no leader should assume they hold the position for life. Very impressive, and an example that should put some Sikh 'leaders' to shame, not only in the echelons of the SGPC, but commitee members of some Gurdware in the diaspora too.

[gupt_paapi]

Yes indeed.. if only committees were liek that

[10th regiment]

gajinder singh is a good person and the dal khalsa is the way forward in terms of long term thinking

[Harmeet Singh]

As for 1991, the reason for my optimism is that I was visiting Punjab at that time. Just as 7 months after the countermanded poll only 10% of the electorate voted after the boycott by Khalistani organisations it seems a sensible assumption to think that if the movement could make 90% not vote, they could at least have made 60-70% vote for their candidates.

The scared tactics were used by Punjab Police agents acting up as khalistanis, they were seen putting up posters to boycott elections otherwise they would be killed. So many khalistani (akalis) leaders were killed during that elections. It was india's worst nightmare.