Punjab uneasy over slew of issues

There is an uncomfortable situation prevailing in Punjab with widespread unrest over some incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth sahib, the Sikhs’ holy book, protests by farmers over large-scale loss of cotton crop, disquiet over some controversial actions of the Sikh clergy and the inability of the state government to effectively deal with these issues. Punjab has not seen any major issue of religious disaffection, which in the context of the state usually acquires political dimensions, in the past many years. Desecration of religious places used to be major acts of provocation during the time of Khalistan militancy but has been rare in the last two decades. This month, pages of the holy book were found torn up near some gurdwaras in Faridkot and Amritsar. Some persons have been arrested but the protests gained strength because of the perception that the state government was unable to put an end to the desecrations. The fact that an Akali Dal government is in power aggravated the protests.

The government has been accused of inaction in finding all the culprits involved in the desecrations. The government has since shifted the director-general of police. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has said that foreign elements are behind the incidents. If there is a plan to create mischief in the state, it is for the government to investigate the matter and expose the conspiracy. Punjab is a sensitive state and the social and religious harmony in the state should not be allowed to be disrupted. The pardon announced by the Akal Takht, the seat of Sikh religious authority, to the controversial chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, a group considered blasphemous, also aroused anger and protests. The pardon has since been withdrawn, but the government was thought to have had a role in the pardon, as it wanted to appease the sect which has some following in the state. This was seen as an act against Sikh sentiments and opportunism on the part of the government.

Protests by farmers who resorted to a rail roko and road blockade agitation after cotton crops were damaged by a white fly attack and basmati prices crashed in the market accentuated the crisis in the state. Lives have been lost in police firing on protesters. All the issues that are roiling the state have serious economic, social and political implications for it state. There is discontent against the government which has been in power for two terms. It has not shown the will and ability to address the multi-faceted crisis.