JALANDARH, Punjab—Dal Khalsa’s youth wing Sikh Youth of Punjab (SYP), today, celebrated Vaisakhi as Sikh Nationalism day, as Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru of Sikhs, bestowed upon the Sikh Panth the distinction of a being complete, and separate, nation around the globe. The youth body organized a conference based upon the concept of Sikh nationalism, and various related dimensions, to mark the historical anniversary of the creation of the Khalsa Panth, known to the Sikh masses as Khalsa Sajna Diwas. The function began with a tribute to the martyrs of Vaisakhi 1978.
Rejecting the Hindutva theory of ‘One nation, One culture’, senior activist of SYP Prabhjot Singh said, The hegemony, [domination of one state over its allies] of New Delhi has polluted our culture, religion and social lives.’
Prof Jagmohan Singh, a human rights activist also spoke at length focusing on Sikh Nationalism. He offered the opinion that, “A community which has sacrificed twenty thousand youth, cannot abandon its aims half-way to its goal.”
The youth wore T-shirts on which were written ‘Azaadi is our Birth Right’ and spiritedly raised cries for freedom with the slogan “We want Azaadi”.
Describing Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as feathers of the same flock, the Harchranjit Singh, the head of Dal Khalsa said, “All mainstream political parties have same agenda when it comes to Sikh aspirations, as they don’t want to resolve the Punjab problem, and instead want to muzzle the voice of dissent through state might.”
He slammed certain Akali factions that have been working against the interests of the community, and causing harm to the Sikh cause by affiliating with the mainstream parties like BJP, Congress and AAP. He dismissed the notion that the violent acts by militant groups were in any way a justification for the state repression against the Sikhs.
Dhami said the [Indian] state carried out “genocide” of Sikhs in June and November of 1984, because its policy makers were determined, “not to devolve power to states as sought by Shiromani Akali Dal,” and that they wanted to crush the fighting spirit of Sikhs as well as teach them a lesson.
To drive his point home, he said “No militant group is active today on ground. But [now] 15 years down the road, the Sikh people continue to face the onslaught of the state’s repressive policies. The state has a fundamental military solution to Sikh problem,” he rued.
He said that the state of India’s policy is to centralize more, and more, power, and that it is becoming more, and more, Hindu in character.
Party spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said, “Sikh people cannot live securely without securing their self-determination, and this is something we must struggle for, regardless of who supports us in the world.” He added, “The Sikh Diaspora had been, and would remain, pivotal in the struggle for self-determination.”
To stem the attempts being made by the Sangh brotherhood to assimilate minorities into the Hindu ocean, Noblejot Singh the head of SYP called upon the youth to strictly adhere to Sikh principles, culture, and traditions.
The gathering passed a resolution reiterating that the Khalsa Panth is not just a religious body, but also a sovereign political entity. Throughout the centuries, the Sikhs have had a unique place among the people of world, developing into a distinct nation in their own right. “The concept of sovereignty, and statehood, is a fundamental part of our very existence”.
The organization reaffirmed that none but the Guru Granth Sahib is the perpetual Guru of the Sikh people.
In another resolution, the gathering paid homage to 13 Sikhs, who were gunned down by neo-Nirankaris in Amritsar 36 years ago on this day [Vaisakhi 2014]. In another resolution, the conference demanded release of all political prisoners languishing in jails over long.
