Article by Rajveer Singh, Head of Khalsa Diary, funding and conflict none.

With the current elections going on in Punjab at the moment everyone has mixed views about who should be elected. This has also led to many of my peers and friends asking my opinion on which party to support. I have no idea why since I’m not exactly interested in Punjab’s current political affairs as democracy in all places has become a game of manipulation and elections itself is not Gurmat. Our leaders are selected by their character and their spiritual state, not by their bank balance or false promises. But I thought that it is important to discuss who Sikhs should vote for to deal with Sikh issues. Consider it the Panthic view.

Honestly if I was to choose it would be none of them.

To me, none of the current parties have the resolve knowledge or power to actually improve Punjab in any way. Now I’m not talking about Khalistan or the Khalsa Raj here either, as I’m simply describing the current political situation of Punjab and India as a whole and which of these parties can actually help the Sikh Kaum.

Let’s start with everyone’s favourite Gaddar and Gappi, the Kali Dal. I refuse as a Sikh to refer to Parkash Badal or Sukhbir Badal as Shiromani or Akali. Both of these are respected titles used to describe Gursikhs and even the Sikh Gurus. And these two fools are far from people like Baba Kharak Singh, Giani Ditt Singh and other Gursikhs involved in the original SAD. As we know both of these fools turned their back on the Panth ages ago and never looked back. In their rule, the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib Ji began, and despite having some sort of power, all they did was make excuses. Letting this family in Punjab was a huge mistake and should be rectified as soon as possible. As if selling out the Panth in 1984 wasn’t bad enough, their continuous support of anti-Sikh elements makes it clear that they’re aiming for the Panth’s destruction.

Second is the Congress. The Congress already has a bad name due to its involvement in the Sikh Genocide, but even in recent times, Captain Amarinder has proved that he is no better than Aurangzeb by swearing on his religion and failing to deliver his promises, something that Guru Sahib has told us not to do in their 52 Hukams. Charanjit Singh Channi has proved to be somewhat mild-mannered compared to others however his achievements are minimal. As for Navjot Sidhu, people are impressed with his words and his rigorous speeches. But being a drama queen means nothing unless you can actually back it up. If we look at it from a Sikh lens then Sidhu himself has no clear identity and where his allegiance lies is also questionable. Doing an Akhand Path and having a Shiv ling up at the same time doesn’t show me the character that leaders like Jassa Singh Ahluwalia or Nawab Kapoor Singh had.

The most supported party at the moment is the AAP especially with the announcement that Bhagwant Mann will be elected as CM. Honestly, I don’t know if people are stupid or if Punjab’s literary rate is stuck 1000 years in the past, but what qualification does a comedian have to run a state? I’m not just talking about Mann but all of these people have zero qualifications that make them remotely fit for this job. Also, Kejriwal has made it clear that he is a member of the RSS, and has openly admitted it. Not only that but he also promised that if elected he will erect a statue of Narakdhari Gurbachana in Amritsar, the same place where Bhai Fauja Singh and 13 Singh’s were martyred. Everyone who is asking for a change, what changes do you see apart from their faces? Zero.

The BJP is a contender. But honestly, it doesn’t matter whether or not they’re elected in Punjab because they hold all the power in the country. At the end of the day, Punjab’s CM will not be able to make any critical changes without the approval of the central government. Punjab’s situation will not change as long as this puppet government for the RSS remains in power.

The Kisans have also made an entry into the elections despite still being completely indecisive about who will do what and have up till now continued to argue with each other. Unlike the other contenders, the majority of the Kisan leaders are well educated. But here’s my issue. The Kisans have proven that given the opportunity they will happily throw anyone under the bus if it means saving themselves. Just like Gandhi they have exploited and used the youth, and the moment the pressure got too much, they cast them aside. Still to this date, there has been no apology around the character assassination done of Deep Sidhu, Lakha Sidhana and other youngsters despite claiming to be fighting for the future of the youth.

We also saw how they treated Sikh ideology, casting aside the sacrifices made by our Shaheed Singh’s to give them the lands they have and then being ignorant enough not to even bother to take back their statements. Even when the Beadbi issue arose, they tried to get rid of the Nihang Singh’s who had been protecting them from RSS members who got violent, the police and armed forces. I know it was not a Sikh morcha, but that doesn’t mean you disregard the heavy contribution made by past and present Gursikhs and cast them aside.

The only other party that may have a chance is the Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar run by Simranjit Singh Mann. As a Panthic party, they are fairly honest and try their best to talk about Punjab’s issues. There is but one area where they have fallen short, and its probably why they haven’t been able to rise to power again. Since 1984, Simranjit Singh Mann’s party has continuously put forward the idea of Khalistan in their manifestos which is absolutely brilliant. However, the word Khalistan has now been shrouded in confusion and terrorism. As advocates of Khalistan, Simranjit Singh Mann’s Party has completely failed in countering the bad press and negative connotations surrounding Khalistan created by the Black state’s propaganda. Due to this, the people of Punjab have failed to understand that Khalistan is not land just for Sikhs but a model of the Khalsa Raj established by Maharaja Ranjit Singh that was a haven for everyone. Due to this reason, their support is limited and the message seems to only reach those who actually are interested in their party.

“So Rajveer you just cussed all the parties so who would you vote for?” That’s probably what you’re thinking. So let me give you an answer from Sikh history. Maha Singh Sukerchakiya had no idea what his son Ranjit Singh was planning. Ranjit Singh chose to do what he did because he understood the Panth needed to come together and be led by the youth. The same thing needs to happen now. An independent youth party, funded by Sikhs from the outside to run Punjab how it should be. It can be done, and everyone will enjoy it. We have the wealth, and we have all the educated youngsters who are leaving Punjab to come outside. By doing this Sikhs sat outside will be able to reclaim Punjab in its purest form something which was stolen from us.

And it’s not like we have much work to do either. We have Guru Nanak Sahib’s truth, Guru Angad Dev Ji’s sovereign Gurdwaras which reformed people into Sant Sipahis, the administration model that Guru Amar Das Ji gave us in the form of the Manjhis and Peera system, the sewa of Guru Ram Das Ji, the Gurbani of Guru Arjan Sahib, the Miri Piri concept of Guru Hargobind Sahib, the environmental and economic growth given by Guru Har Rai Ji, the healthcare system granted by Guru Har Krishan Sahib, the challenge to uniformity and tyranny of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, and the Fauj of Akaal Purakh given by Guru Gobind Singh Ji as well as the answer to all go life’s questions in Guru Granth Sahib Ji. We have nothing missing yet we still don’t have a sovereign Punjab. Well, then that’s our proof that we haven’t upheld Guru Sahib’s philosophy.

I’ll put it in simple words, all these elections do is remind us that we have to beg India’s officials to treat us like humans. It’s as simple as that. And our Guru taught us to be sovereign lions, not scared sheep. The rest is up to you people of India. Do you choose to live as sheep or as sovereigns?