Simranjit Singh Mann’s victory may boost ‘Akali politics’, hardliners


‘To counter radicalism, the AAP government. needs to make development and governance its main agenda’

‘To counter radicalism, the AAP government. needs to make development and governance its main agenda’

The victory of Simranjit Singh Mann, a well-known hardline Sikh leader and head of Shiromani Akali Dal-Amritsar (SAD-Amritsar), from Punjab’s Sangrur parliamentary constituency, may have far-reaching implications. Mr. Mann, who has time and again raised the specter of ‘Khalistan’, the sovereign state of Sikhs, could, with his unexpected victory, embolden radical elements and spark a resurgence of ‘Akali politics’ in Punjab.

Observers of politics and state law and order fear that this dangerous trend will pose a tough challenge to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which would have to take concrete steps to firmly deal with the emerging situation.

Punjab went through a traumatic phase of militancy from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s over Khalistan’s demand. The Khalistan movement has lost popular support, but recent sporadic incidents in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have reignited debate about reviving the movement.

In May this year, Mr. Mann raised the issue of Khalistan at a meeting convened by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the body responsible for managing gurdwaras, urging the SGPC to support the resolution in favor of Khalistan that , according to him, was approved unanimously. he passed by in 1946. The meeting, convened in Amritsar, had been called to deliberate on the release of Sikh prisoners.

“Simranjit Singh Mann’s victory shows the revival of Akali politics, with the radical faction dominating. Akali politics mainly involves the panthic (Sikhs), peasantry and provincial (anti-centrist approach) components. The Sangrur poll result shows that SAD-Amritsar, led by Simranjit Mann, got the support of all three constituents,” said Pramod Kumar, director of the Chandigarh Institute for Development and Communication.

Dr. Kumar said that the apparent radicalism in Sangrur’s undercurrent over the election result could have been offset if the state government’s performance in governance and development had been promising. “The ruling AAP has failed to take off on the development and governance front. She has a difficult challenge on her hand. To counteract and weaken radicalism, the current government must make development and governance its main agenda. Second, the discourse of Punjabi identity must be reinforced and strengthened. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) moderate politics has weakened and radical politics has become dominant, which is a dangerous sign,” he said.

Shashi Kant, Former Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Mr. Mann’s victory sends the message that hardliners are becoming strong and the narrative surrounding Khalistan could be emboldened, which is dangerous. Pointing out that in the recent past, drones, drugs, money and explosives have been seen being smuggled into Punjab from Pakistan, Kant said: “The use of a rocket-propelled grenade to attack the police building in Mohali recently was not you can ignore Also, the arrests in Karnal in Haryana with explosives etc. it is a serious matter. All of these and similar incidents involving terrorist support from foreign soil show a dangerous trend. For the AAP, it will be a big challenge. Emboldened radicals are cause for concern.”

Among the recent incidents, on May 9, the headquarters of the Intelligence Wing of the Punjab Police, located in Mohali in the Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district, was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade, and the police indicated the involvement of Babbar Khalsa International, a terrorist organization. fighting for a separate Sikh state, in a nexus with gangsters and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). On May 5, four people were arrested, with the recovery of three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and a pistol from Karnal by Haryana Police based on input from Punjab Police, who claimed to have blown up a Pakistan-based terrorist module run by gangster Harvinder Singh alias Rinda. Rinda supplied these explosives to the defendants via drone from across the border in Pakistan, and they were to deliver the explosives to Adilabad in Telangana.

Mr. Mann, a third-time Member of Parliament, founded his party in 1994. He resigned from the Indian Police Service in June 1984 in protest against Operation Bluestar, during which the Army had stormed the Harmandir Sahib ( Golden Temple). compound in Amritsar, Sikhism’s holiest shrine, to expel extremists led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. In the same year, Mr. Mann was arrested on various charges, including involvement in a plot to assassinate then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and jailed for five years.



Reference-www.thehindu.com

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