- Jan 3, 2010
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Dangerously Damaging Paper War Among Punjab Sikhs
Dr Dalvinder Singh Grewal
A dangerously damaging war between the two Punjabi Newspaper barons has left the simple Punjabi Sikhs perplexed. The game played by two political parties the Akalis and the Congress for up-man-ship through these two papers seems to be uncontrollable. Akalis weakened, subdued and devalued the religious structure of Sikh through excessive controls for personal gains and Gurdwara funds and the temporal authority were used as per their dictates. It used the paper to maintain domination among Sikhs. As a result the religious structure was subdued. Now the Congress has used the other paper to strike at the very roots of the weakened structure. It started with striking at the political convenient weak appointments of Jathedars and SGPC President and the unbalanced decisions and excommunication system adopted by these specially chosen Jathedars and the President of SGPC. It then entered into the controversies with promoted derawalas, Nankshahi Calendar, Dasam Granth and now has reached the most sacred pillar of Sikhism, Sri Guru Granth Sahib. This is a dangerous situation indeed as the ongoing war has divided Punjab in to two factions created a wedge between Sikhs. The Congress is now exploiting the situation to the hilt. This is what happened 30 years before when the controversies between two newspaper giants of Jullunder was similarly used by these two parties, and the congress used the religious leaders to subdue Akalis. This resulted in 1984 attack on Sri Harmandir Sahib, murder of Srimati Indira Gandhi and Anti Sikh riots.
The forthcoming SGPC elections are going to vitiate this atmosphere further.
This has to stop now. All well meaning Sikhs must unite and bring about a ceasefire. The political parties too should change their stance, taking it that this on going war is good for none. We had enough of this for last 325 years. They should rather be thinking of serious problems like Rupees 67000 Crores heavy debt burden, decaying industry and agriculture, poor infrastructure, regularly sliding down education and health index of Punjab, suicide by farmers, exodus of young to foreign countries and the humiliating treatment meted out to them in those countries and other such problems. Groups like Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle, Sikh Watch etc., should come forward to help reconciliation. Earlier it is done the better it is, lest Punjab boils again.
Dr Dalvinder Singh Grewal
A dangerously damaging war between the two Punjabi Newspaper barons has left the simple Punjabi Sikhs perplexed. The game played by two political parties the Akalis and the Congress for up-man-ship through these two papers seems to be uncontrollable. Akalis weakened, subdued and devalued the religious structure of Sikh through excessive controls for personal gains and Gurdwara funds and the temporal authority were used as per their dictates. It used the paper to maintain domination among Sikhs. As a result the religious structure was subdued. Now the Congress has used the other paper to strike at the very roots of the weakened structure. It started with striking at the political convenient weak appointments of Jathedars and SGPC President and the unbalanced decisions and excommunication system adopted by these specially chosen Jathedars and the President of SGPC. It then entered into the controversies with promoted derawalas, Nankshahi Calendar, Dasam Granth and now has reached the most sacred pillar of Sikhism, Sri Guru Granth Sahib. This is a dangerous situation indeed as the ongoing war has divided Punjab in to two factions created a wedge between Sikhs. The Congress is now exploiting the situation to the hilt. This is what happened 30 years before when the controversies between two newspaper giants of Jullunder was similarly used by these two parties, and the congress used the religious leaders to subdue Akalis. This resulted in 1984 attack on Sri Harmandir Sahib, murder of Srimati Indira Gandhi and Anti Sikh riots.
The forthcoming SGPC elections are going to vitiate this atmosphere further.
This has to stop now. All well meaning Sikhs must unite and bring about a ceasefire. The political parties too should change their stance, taking it that this on going war is good for none. We had enough of this for last 325 years. They should rather be thinking of serious problems like Rupees 67000 Crores heavy debt burden, decaying industry and agriculture, poor infrastructure, regularly sliding down education and health index of Punjab, suicide by farmers, exodus of young to foreign countries and the humiliating treatment meted out to them in those countries and other such problems. Groups like Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle, Sikh Watch etc., should come forward to help reconciliation. Earlier it is done the better it is, lest Punjab boils again.
