The traditionally faction-ridden Congress has ostensibly become a unified force. Its first indication was the expulsion of its two prominent rebel leaders Jagmeet Singh Brar and Bir Devinder Singh from the party without evoking any noticeable opposition. More important was the second development -presence of all hitherto feuding factional leaders on one platform at the party’s Baisakhi rally held at Talwandi Sabo on Wednesday.

Third indication was the decision of the marginalized political parties like chief minister’s nephew Manpreet Singh Badal’s Peoples Party and Surjit Singh Barnala’s Longowal Akali Dal, merging with the Congress. Fourth indication is the possibility of West Bengal-like Congress-Left front being formed to contest Punjab assembly elections.

These developments are apparently a part of the strategy of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's political strategist and adviser Prashant Kishor whom the Congress has roped in for the upcoming assembly elections. Although the strategy may be comprehensively unfolded in coming days, the form it may take is reflected in the campaign initiated last week by Capt. Amarinder Singh to have interactions with students of a number of universities.

Conversely, foreseeing the challenge a unified Opposition would pose, Akali leadership also appears to have decided to revive a soft form of its time-tested panthic agenda by cleverly trying to give it secular look to suit political compulsions of its alliance partner BJP. It is obviously designed to regain the ground the ruling party has lost particularly among its major Sikh support base due to various factors including increasing number of debt-ridden farmers committing suicides, poor governance and religious issues.

The party leadership has declared development as its election plank. But the Badals, despite claiming to be pursuing moderate politics, have started using the party’s doctrine that “religion and politics are inseparable” with the rider that religion will guide their politics. It does not matter if compulsions of politics prompt them to even eulogies extremists.

Some instances.

The chief minister has been demanding release of jailed militants. The latest case is of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal’s last Saturday’s visit to Bluestar Memorial erected within the precincts of Golden Temple Complex. The Memorial is dedicated to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and also to those killed during the Army’s Operation Bluestar to flush out the Bhindranwale-led militants who had converted the Sikhs apex sacred shrine into their bastion for Khalistan movement and as sanctuary of armed militants who killed thousands of innocents Punjabis, including a large number of Sikhs.

The Akali Dal had earlier refrained from supporting the Memorial with the father-son duo avoiding visiting it. The Opposition Congress and the BJP had also opposed construction of the Memorial. While the latter had termed the move as anti-national, Congress had expressed apprehension that such a Memorial inside the Golden Temple Complex may again whip up passions.

The BJP, however, is now maintaining intriguing silence on Sukhbir’s visit to the Memorial thereby virtually lending legitimacy to the Memorial the Badals had publicly avoided lending it so far. For the saffron party, barring its chief parliamentary secretary Dr. Navjot Kaur Sidhu, sticking to ministerial chairs looks like more important than principled politics.

What is more disappointing is the opportunistic stand by senior Akali leaders on some crucial national issues. The biggest example is of the chief minister Badal whose national stature as a soft natured statesman-politician is widely recognized maintaining deplorable silence on the divisive utterances of Sangh Parivar’s hotheads which have communally polarized the plural Indian society.

These developments need to be seen in the backdrop of the blatantly partisan decision aimed at garnering support/votes, particularly of the Malwa region voters from where the Badal family members will contest elections.

It began with the Akali-SGPC’s seeking grant and then withdrawal of the unilateral pardon to the politically useful dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for wearing Guru Gobind Singh-like attire. Then there was a massive attendance at the Sarbat Khalsa organized by some radical bodies in the wake of Guru Granth Sahib’s sacrilege incidents which unnerved the Akali leadership.

This has been followed by the chief minister’s innovative scheme 'Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Scheme' which is obviously designed to exploit the common man’s religious sentiments for political ends. Under the since launched scheme people from Punjab’s 117 assembly constituencies are being provided free pilgrimage to Sikhs and Hindus major sacred cities. The ‘pilgrims’ are being provided all logistic facilities which will cost the state government’s virtually empty treasury Rs. 187 crore.

The foregoing narrative reminds me what Karl Marx and Abraham Lincoln had once said: “Religion is the opiate of the masses” (Karl Marx). “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Abraham Lincoln.

The States and the Central-level politicians need to learn from the eighties and on-going happenings that religion becomes the breeding ground of extremism and terrorism. It has already become a communally polarizing factor under the Modi-led government. (IPA Service)