Rewriting Aspirations

The controversy over the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, which threatened to become an election issue, appears to have blown over, at least for now. Since it all emanated from a journalist’s query at the Deputy Chief Minister’s swearing-in and was perhaps unintended, the SAD-BJP government in Punjab was ill at ease over it. This was primarily because the two alliance partners would never find common ground on many of the issues raised in the document. Most Akali Dal leaders too would much rather not talk about the document as it has been a kind of an encumbrance for them ever since it was first passed by its party working committee in 1973 and later formally adopted in 1978. They feel that given the political compulsions, the party could neither adopt and enforce it in letter and spirit nor dump it. A close look at the Resolution suggests that it is outdated and requires a fresh look in thought, content and also approach. It reads like the ranting of a party aggrieved and wronged. And this is not without reason for in 1973 the Akali Dal’s bete noire in the state, the Congress party, had been in power at the Centre without break since independence and Akali Dal has had a long litany of grievances. Although the Akali Dal was in power in Punjab and a member of the few months old Janata Government at the Centre in 1978, not much had changed on ground when the document was finally adopted. Since then Akali Dal has been in power in Punjab at least three times and has been a part of the non-Congress Government at the Centre many a time. And yet nothing changed. A fresh look becomes imperative also because while nothing was achieved from the document, the opposition parties found it convenient to use it to tarnish the image of the party. Some parts of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution are not befitting a recognized political party. It states that it would “strive to propagate Sikhism” and also “streamline the Gurdwara Administration…. “, something that the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and not a political party professing to be secular, ought to be doing. Some things mentioned in the Resolution such as upgradation of Amritsar airfield to international standard have been achieved. So also the relay of Gurbani from the Golden Temple, Amritsar. Interestingly, the Resolution states that while the “entire cost of the proposed broadcasting project (for relay of Gurbani) would be borne by the Khalsa Panth, its overall control shall vest with the Indian Government.” But would the SGPC allow the control for its relay to vest with the Centre? Some other aspects of the Resolution are in fact contrary to the policies of the current SAD-BJP Government. For example, while the Resolution advocates that “all key industries should be under the private sector” and also there should be progressive “nationalization of transport”, the state is moving head-on towards either privatization or public-private partnerships in all major projects. In fact, many of the things mentioned therein require no clearance from the Centre and fall within the functions of the state government, like “rehabilitating ex-servicemen of the defence departments in civil life”, as mentioned in the Resolution. The Resolution "seeks ban on liquor" and yet the SAD-BJP government, like the Congress governments, has been pushing sales of liquor in the state. Except for the Akali Dal effort for a brief period in mid-80s, hardly any earnest effort on the territorial issue has been made. And the initiative for annulling the river waters accord was taken by Captain Amarinder Singh. There is need for caution on some issues raised in the Resolution, which run counter to uniform laws. It calls for an amendment to the relevant clause in the Hindu Succession Act to enable women to get equal inheritance rights in the properties of her father-in-law instead of the father. Would most women of Punjab today favour such an amendment? Moreover, in the face of globalization, intermingling through wedlock of Sikhs and non-Sikhs and spread of Sikh Diaspora in different parts of the World, should there be a law in vogue for Sikhs, which runs counter to the laws elsewhere and for others? One is not sure if SAD's demand in the document for non-convicted persons having liberty to possess small arms, rifles and carbines through registration and without licence would find many takers today. Many clauses in the Resolution, especially the ones relating to redefining of Centre-State relations and demanding a federal structure, have been aired by other political parties as well and require a wider debate. Yet, at this time restricting Centre’s role to defence, foreign relations, currency and communications appear odd in the face of current threats to national unity. Moreover, things have changed drastically in the past 35 years. For example, the Resolution denounces the foreign policy framed by the Congress, but is the foreign policy of the BJP much different? Anandpur Sahib Resolution advocates a “policy of peace with all neighbouring countries, especially those inhabited by the Sikhs and their sacred shrines” – an obvious reference to Pakistan. But, surely, Punjab can’t have a separate foreign policy, which is at variance with that of the Centre, especially when the document itself accepts the fact that foreign relations should be the calling of the Centre. Clearly, it is time to take a call and re-write the document to make it do-able. It should be in tune with the aspirations of the people of Punjab but without raising hackles of the nation.