Sikh Radical Groups Frown As Aap Walks Its Talk

[Mehtab Singh]

JALANDHAR: Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) growing popularity among NRIs and in Punjab is causing a churning in unexpected quarters: Radical Sikh groups. These outfits operating from abroad, who have been vociferously raising issues like injustice to 1984 riot victims and eviction of farmers from Kutch in Gujarat, are aghast at AAP "hijacking" their agenda and even garnering support.

These groups claim that they enjoy widespread support in Punjab and abroad.

The Dal Khalsa, for instance, sees the Congress, BJP and AAP as chips of the same block. Party head H S Dhami says, "For Sikhs, it hardly matters who holds the reins in Delhi. The community has participated in elections with enthusiasm since 1950, but could not get justice from any party even on crucial issues like massacre of Sikhs in the national capital."

US-based Khalistani ideologue Dr Amarjit Singh expects little from AAP. "Sikhs who wish for Khalistan should stick to their agenda as AAP is also not addressing their issues," he had said in a recent special televised discussion on a Punjabi channel in the US.

Akali Dal Panch Pardhani brought out the crux of the radicals' thought. "AAP is also working in a limited political paradigm and has limitations. The electoral process can't that address the aspirational issues of different communities and nationalities, so we are staying away from it," said acting president Harpal Singh Cheema.

Author Ajmer Singh, who has written on contemporary Sikh history, believes a few groups are feeling threatened as their support base among Sikhs who feel alienated could shrink with AAP's advent.

"For a few groups, this position is more like sticking to their ideological and theoretical position in place of making a strategic political intervention to change the situation. Limitations of AAP should also be understood, but to oppose it blindly when it has tried to address a couple of justice issues is not very logical from the point of view of political strategy," he pointed out.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/Sikh-radical-groups-frown-as-AAP-walks-its-talk/articleshow/34084726.cms?

[Singh559]

Government agents in full swing nakli Khalistanis? I haven't read much into the news related to recent politics, what are sangat's assessments of this?

[N30S1NGH]

Same old divide and rule split voting tactic.

US-based Khalistani ideologue Dr Amarjit Singh expects little from AAP. "Sikhs who wish for Khalistan should stick to their agenda as AAP is also not addressing their issues," he had said in a recent special televised discussion on a Punjabi channel in the US.

Whoever this dude dr amarjit singh is, he should be more concerned drafting a rough constitution of khalistan lot of work needs to be done behind closed doors so discussion can take place in near future among sikhs, so that we can up to bar international standards rather than looking like fool, incompetent infront of international stage..he should be more concerned about laying out framework of khalistan rather than dividing voters even more, discouraging voters going for a party whose premises is to address root issues of common man, once root issues (human right abuses, corruption, power abuse) are addressed than only sensible civilian discussions negotiations diplomacy can take place ( such as treaties, land, language, autonomy like kashmir tibet etc).

[Singh559]

Dr Amarjit Singh seems sincere, but this will only take voters away from AAP and keep SAD(B) or Congress in the game.

[proactive]

Organisations like Dal Khalsa, Sikh Students Federation, Damdami Taksal and Akali Dal Amritsar have basically failed to unite and give a clear lead to the Sikhs who want Badal out. Only AAP can now win against the corrupt Badal Akalis. The people outside India who are now saying Sikhs should stick to Khalistan have no clue what it takes to create, sustain and motivate a grass roots movement which can then take over the Punjab politically and bring Khalistan into being. These people think that they can make statements in the press and the Sikhs in Punjab will follow their lead. This is how out of touch they are with reality. Rather that deride AAP these people should be getting their supporters in Punjab to join AAP in large numbers and then make AAP into an anti-Badal party with a strong Punjabi agenda (ie water rights for Punjab, more autonomy etc) . AAP in Punjab is already a majority Sikh party and has put a majority of Sikh candidates up for the elections. If they manage as seems likely they will win 4-5 seats out of 13 in Punjab, this will represent a sea change in Punjab politics. AAP are then sure to win a majority in the Punjab assembly and this will be first time that a non Akali or non Congress party has ruled Punjab. Even 2 seats will convince the nay sayers that Badals days are numbered. The last time this could have happened was in 1992 when the militants forced a boycott on Simranjeet Singh Mann.

The people outside of Punjab need to understand the forces at work in Punjab and in India. By making sure that AAP has a majority Sikh base then it will automatically, at least in Punjab be forced to fight for Punjabi rights which in essence because the Sikhs are a majority in Punjab will be a fight for Sikh rights.

[proactive]

Same old divide and rule split voting tactic.

Whoever this dude dr amarjit singh is, he should be more concerned drafting a rough constitution of khalistan lot of work needs to be done behind closed doors so discussion can take place in near future among sikhs, so that we can up to bar international standards rather than looking like fool, incompetent infront of international stage..he should be more concerned about laying out framework of khalistan rather than dividing voters even more, discouraging voters going for a party whose premises is to address root issues of common man, once root issues (human right abuses, corruption, power abuse) are addressed than only sensible civilian discussions negotiations diplomacy can take place ( such as treaties, land, language, autonomy like kashmir tibet etc).

Why haven't they produced a document like a constitution of Khalistan? Why haven't they even produced a document which details why Khalistan is required? They are out of touch totally with Punjab and most have created a business whereby they give a few statements out every few months but do nothing to further the cause of Khalistan in Punjab. Pretty much a majority of the Sikhs abroad support Khalistan so what is stopping these people abroad from creating a strategy and putting it into place to further the cause of Khalistan in Punjab?