Compulsions of power politics make politicians opportunists and prompt political parties to come out of the narrow and sectarian grooves. In the case of Akali Dal, it first happened in the mid-nineties when it decided to adopt a moderate political line. It also opened its doors to non-Sikhs. Though Constitutional compulsions of prohibiting the religion-based parties from fighting the elections forced the Akali Dal to take such a step, the change paid it electoral dividends. These steps represented a radical departure from the dark years of terrorism when even some of the top Akali leaders prostrated before the terrorists who were demandimg Khalistan and were killing innocents, mostly Sikhs.

In its second corrective step the ruling Akali leadership is now trying to completely distance itself from the legacy of Bhindranwale and curb the separatist elements who are trying to again raise their head in Punjab. The most glaring instance of this change was provided by the government's stand in the Punjab and Haryana High Court last week on the petition of the separatist Akali Dal (Panch Pardhani) outfit seeking removal of the ban on taking out a march to Amritsar to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Operation Bluestar on June 6.

Opposing the admission of the petition, the state's counsel said that the SAD (Panch Pardhani) adhered to the ideology of “Khalistan”. Significantly, the government also argued that the petitioner party was placing the photographs of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur (whose forces had won a historic victory over the Mughal forces in 1708) along with snaps of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale “a militant who was killed in 1984 in an Army operation”.

The government description of Bhindranwale as “a militant killed in the Army Operation (Bluestar) in 1984” is a U-turn from the past stand of the Akali leadership and its pocket borough Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Not long ago they used to eulogize Bhindranwale. The SGPC has been defending the Akal Takht's declaration of calling Bhindranwale a “martyr”. His picture is still displayed in the central Sikh museum maintained by SGPC. Not only this, some Akali leaders also used to attend Bhog ceremonies held in memory of Bhindranwale.

The radicals activities on the eve of 26th anniversary of Operation Bluestar are not a development taking place only this year. It has been an annual short-lived phenomenon. But the latest situation needs to be seen in the backdrop of the above developments and the warnings by the state government's senior authorities that the ISI-backed militants were trying to promote separatist militancy in Punjab. The authorities have also been claiming that the police have recovered caches of arms and ammunition and have apprehended some persons trying to revive militancy in the state.

Reports have also simultaneously been pouring in from the districts that some radical organizations, though they form only a fringe of state's political spectrum, including SAD(Panch Pradhani), have been trying to propagate separatism. Last week, hoardings with the photographs of Bhindranwale appeared outside some of the gurdwaras in Patiala. Radicals also made provocative speeches and raised pro-Khalistan slogans at a conclave organized to mark the 26th anniversary of Operation Bluestar at Quila Mubarak, Bathinda.

Some radical organizations have lately intensified their demand for erecting a memorial presumably to glorify the militants who were killed in Operation Bluestar -the 1984 Army exercise to flush out armed terrorists from the precincts of Golden Temple. The irony of the situation is that although the government and political parties have been condemning the terrorists for killing thousands of innocent people but none of them has ever raised the demand for raising memorials for the Army, police personnel and civilians who were killed while braving the armed terrorists onslaughts

The Akali Dal had long back distanced itself from the Khalistan demand. But its latest stance of abandoning Bhindranwale's legacy and to firmly deal with the radical fringe indicates that even those party leaders who still nursed ideological affinity with the radical elements are reconciling to the new situation.

The transformation that has taken place in Akali Dal in the last nearly two decades is a healthy development. The factors responsible for this transformation include the defeat of separatist-terrorism in Punjab, compulsions of power politics, Akali Dal's joining of national political mainstream and the generational change in the party's hierarchy indicating passing on of the baton from feudal to business class.

This healthy transformation of the Akali Dal can, however, sustain only if disgruntlement among the people is not allowed to grow. The responsibility for this falls particularly on the Akali-BJP government. However, if the quality of governance its ruling leadership has been providing does not improve, it will spread disgruntlement among the people which will not be a healthy development for the future of Punjab and its peace. (IPA Service)