Say " No" To Air India

[DiscoverSikhism 341]

ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂਜੀਕਾਖਾਲਸਾ॥ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂਜੀਕੀਫਤਿਹ॥

New York, USA: US based human rights group 'Sikhs For Justice' (SFJ) whose Facebook page has been blocked by the Indian government has given a call to the Sikh diaspora in North America to boycott Air India. The national airline of the India operates several flights every day to various destinations in North America.

SFJ claims that it called for boycott of Air India to highlight the dictatorial action of Modi Government to block the democratic campaign of SFJ to hold referendum in the state of Punjab.

To adversely affect the usage of Air India by the Sikh community, on May 12, SFJ launched an online campaign 'Say NO Air India, YES to Punjab Independence Referendum'. The campaign urges the community to denounce blocking of SFJ's Facebook Page; declare that Sikhs have a right to hold Punjab Independence Referendum and pledge not to travel by Air India.

Say No to Air India: A poster released by Sikhs For Justice

The Sikh rights group plans to reach out to every Sikh household in North America through social media and local Gurdwaras. SFJ volunteers will be setting up “No To Air India” camps at Gurdwaras urging the community to sign the pledge boycotting India’s national airline during the upcoming busy travel season.

Advocating to banish Air India, attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ stated that “every dictatorial action of Modi Government will be challenged through equally strong but legal, peaceful and democratic action”."Our campaign is aimed at mounting pressure on India into holding Punjab Independence Referendum under UN Charter", added attorney Pannun.

SFJ has given a call to hold a referendum in the year 2020 on the question of Sikh sovereignty. Referendum 2020 will be held in the state of Punjab and among Sikh diaspora living in America, Canada, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Middle Eastern Countries.

[JagsawSingh 860]

"Say no to Air India" ?

I suppose the real question is why anyone with mental faculties intact would say 'yes' to an aiirline that routinely double books, off-loads double bookings, cancels flights at will, has an appaling safety record and operates an old and ancient fleet of aircraft that most airlines would consider unfit to stay in service.

[SinghSabha1699 75]

This is so stupid...

I respect Sikhs for Justice but they appear to be totally unaware that such a referendum would be roundly voted down by the Punjab population of whom currently only 60% are Sikhs (and where Sikhs are projected to be a minority in Punjab by 2021 if our Hindutva opponents continue with the expansion of Dera Ballan apartheid-mandirs and Balmiki apartheid-mandirs to convert 5 to 6 million current Punjabi speaking Sikhs into tomorrow's Hindutva vote bank ... whilst we sit back and do nothing to unite and expand the Sikh Panth via single united sangat Gurdwara's in every pind and locality globally). Given the incredibly low percentage of votes the pro-Khalistan parties commanded in the 2014 elections (less than a single percentage point) it would be wiser for SFJ to focus all efforts towards stemming the silent ongoing Genocide occurring through female infanticide, illiteracy, poverty, drugs, cancer, biraderi and alcohol. A majority vote in favour of independence by Diaspora Sikhs will simply do nothing to address the silent ongoing Genocide particularly given that America, Russia, UK, France and China (and even Pakistan nowadays) are all fully in support of Delhi going forward for purely business reasons (to the detriment of justice for Sikhs).

[singh_comradz 84]

If the boycott never worked in the wake of the attack in '84 then why would it work now? Poor strategy

[MisterrSingh 3,859]

Flew Air India for the first time ever around 8 years ago. The decor inside of the plane and the seats themselves were like the kinda stuff we had in our school minibus back in the 90s, lol.

[Guest]

Again my post got deleted.

[kamc 128]

If the boycott never worked in the wake of the attack in '84 then why would it work now? Poor strategy

This and the fact that when it come's down to it, we can't all sit in the same Gurdwara together, how on earth do they think we're going to all boycott an airline together.

I can understand why they would think it's a good idea but let's be honest here, if the tickets cheap then people are going to use them, i think very few people are going to but a more expensive ticket just to prove a point, it's a shame really because SFJ look like they are run by a group of intelligent and educated individuals but campaigns like these really don't achieve a lot, i think they should take a leaf out of organisations like Ensaaf's book and do more ground level stuff and help individuals.

[singh598 470]

The fact is UK flights to india are predominantly booked by Sikhs why are you showing them financial support?? I travelled with them just once in 7 times and never will again

India and its elite are nothing but a haven for capitalist ventures. India is a haven for a foreign countries and it is a shame that itself it is not autonomous despite its glorious history

This is the result of the hindus who themselves have lost the warrior ability and have become slaves of the british and foreign investors

Its like a friend once said to me...."the british have never left india, they just replaced it with their brown English people"

[StarStriker 1,062]

Its like a friend once said to me...."the british have never left india, they just replaced it with their brown English people"

Great comment ol chap.

[Hammertime007 504]

I don't use air india due rep and very poor customer experience received by those that do. However the dream liner launched from Birmingham a few years ago is a good plane pitty the service don't match.

[DailyMail 320]

What a silly and immature campaign from an esteemed organisation such as Sikhs for Justice.

My family have used Air India for the past 5 years or so and I have to admit it is punctual and gets one to Amritsar quicker than any other (even Jet).

Ultimately, Punjabi's will use whichever airline gets them to Punjab in the quickest and cheapest way possible.

The last thing we'd like to do is to bank roll ISIS, sorry, I meant fly with Qatar.

(Yes, you read that correctly, that's where ISIS get the moola from. No pun intended).

[BhagatBalmik 379]

I respect Sikhs for Justice but they appear to be totally unaware that such a referendum would be roundly voted down by the Punjab population of whom currently only 60% are Sikhs (and where Sikhs are projected to be a minority in Punjab by 2021

Waheguru

Sikhs are probably less then 60% of the punjab population because namdharis, radhaswami and other deras also claim to be sikhs makeing the sikh population seem high.

[SinghSabha1699 75]

Waheguru

Sikhs are probably less then 60% of the punjab population because namdharis, radhaswami and other deras also claim to be Sikhs making the Sikh population seem high.

Bilcul Paji and of additional relavance to this point is that our Hindutva opponents are furthermore trying to convert 5 to 6 million current Punjabi speaking Sikhs into tomorrow's Hindutva vote bank by the 2021 Punjab census (where they intend to unveil Sikhs as a minority in Punjab and not just in Doaba as currently) via the recent proliferation of Dera Ballan apartheid-mandirs and Balmiki apartheid-mandirs and this is something SFJ should focus more upon rather than this referendum idea which will clearly achieve nothing in practical terms.

Bhagat Singh Ji if I am right in thinking you are aware of the family background of Bhai Jiwan Singh Ji (of Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib Ji fame) and also the heavy contribution of Rangrete Sikh warriors in Misl Shahhedian especially and indeed all Misls and the Khalsa Fauj alongside Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa Ji, I would be most grateful for your input on the Tilak thread where myself and Tari Ji were having a conversation (in terms of solutions you might have, as I am hoping from your handle that you are knowledgable about what is going on as many in Panth are ignoring this at our collective peril):

http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?/topic/77011-huge-violation-of-sikh-maryada-by-akali-congress-leaders-chandumarja-and-others-impose-tilak-on-guru-granth-sahib/page-2

Jere Bhagat Balmik Ji da Satkaar karde ne oh ta saare Sikh hi ho sakde ne (hohn Punjab'ch ja dusriya states vich).

[garch 204]

If the boycott never worked in the wake of the attack in '84 then why would it work now? Poor strategy

Its a reminder to all sikhs they are funding a terrorist state by doing business with AI.

Hit the purse of any govt and they will pay more attention.

The referendum is a publicity stunt to highlight lack of true democracy in india and remind all sikhs still have had no justice.

Although I'd prefer sikhs getting their own justice using the tools given to them by the gurus I give much kudos to sfj for keeping the cause alive and doing what they can.

We should all support.

[SinghSabha1699 75]

Its a reminder to all sikhs they are funding a terrorist state by doing business with AI.

1699 = Garch Ji you are correct with the above. However, I believe singh_comradz Ji's point was that our people failed to boycott AI sufficiently in the aftermath of 1984 so perhaps a stronger overall strategy might be needed this time round. Given that 31years have now passed since 1984 and similarly when it was 1978 our Panth had conveniently forgotten (31years after 1947) all about the 1947 Pakistani Genocide of Sikhs (which to put it into context left 20 times as many per capita innocent Sikh victims as the 1980's). Daily Mail Ji was also correct to point out the human rights concerns relating to other airlines that fund Islamic State etc.

Hit the purse of any govt and they will pay more attention.

1699 = Absolutely, Sikhs must use what economic levers we can to uplift our own people whilst not enriching our opponents with our own money (for example, with anti-Gurmat yatra's to Hindutva area's, trips to Pakistan, trips to ISIS supporting nations whilst our own people suffer from lack of funding to tackle illiteracy, poverty, infanticide, biraderi , drugs, alcohol and cancer etc).

The referendum is a publicity stunt to highlight lack of true democracy in india and remind all sikhs still have had no justice.

1699 = In this respect, I fear it would fail badly in Punjab itself and would in fact bolster Delhi's claims that only Diaspora Sikhs want to claim the birthright of self-determination. As we all know from just a simple look at the demographics of Punjab currently that in Punjab there would be a majority of the Punjab population in support of maintaining ties with India, particularly in the context of our opponents aim to present Sikhs as a minority in Punjab by the 2021 census (if we fail to have only one Gurdwara per pind by then and if we fail to tackle biraderi discrimination and matrimonial apartheid 316years after 1699 now).

Although I'd prefer sikhs getting their own justice using the tools given to them by the gurus

1699 = What exactly are the tools you refer to Garch Ji? Particularly in the context of what occurred in June 1984 and the subsequent Genocide of Sikhs and how as a Panth we are far weaker than we were in 1980 when DamDami Taksal first campaigned for Congress (Indira) whereas our Hindutva opponents are in a far stronger position economically and militarily combined with support for Delhi from USA, Russia, UK, France, China, Canada, Australia and even Pakistan.

I give much kudos to sfj for keeping the cause alive and doing what they can.

1699 = Agreed in respect of economic boycotts which are well thought out but I strongly feel that instead of this referendum publicity stunt that we the Sangat should write to the sincere Sikhs at SFJ and suggest that tackling the menaces of illiteracy, poverty, female infanticide, drugs, biraderi, cancer and alcohol are the most effective way for the Panth to achieve Khalsa Raj quickly (where our vision should not be limited to small pockets of current day Majha and Malwa but encompassing the Takhts outside of Punjab given the hundreds of millions of natural born sehajdhari Sikhs outside of Punjab if only we do parchaar and re-admit them within the Sikh Panth). Khalsa Raj cannot be achieved in the absence of critical population mass nowadays. Guru Sahib has given us the tools of seva and parchaar for Sarbat da Bhala combined with Gurbani and Panthic self-upliftment in respect of infanticide, illiteracy, poverty, biraderi, drugs, alcohol and cancer to achieve that. A 100% literate and fully united Sikh Panth is key to achieving that.