How would the Sikh community, Punjabis at large and, in fact, all right-thinking people, react if the Government of Punjab was to make a law that it was legally mandatory for people to visit the Gurdwaras to pay obeisance to a Sikh Guru? Don’t try and jump to a conclusion – because based on what is happening, it might not create any stir.

The ruling party in Punjab, Congress, has issued a whip to its MLAs, making it mandatory for them to present themselves in the Legislative Assembly at 9:30 am for the Assembly Session that is to begin at 10 am today, Friday, September 3. The single objective of convening this Session, as per the ruling party, is to commemorate the 400th Parkash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur. It has been made clear that no legislative business will be taken up in the special session.

So, the MLAs of the Congress have now been whipped to go to the Assembly at an appointed time to pay obeisance to the ninth Sikh Guru.

Is the arrangement acceptable to the Sikh community?
Is it acceptable to the people of Punjab?

Are we setting this new precedent of whipping people into a building to commemorate the sacrifice of a supreme martyr?

Even the most politically naive person knows that it basically means dragging a Guru into s slugfest to serve a petty political objective! 

Is Amarinder Singh not guilty of deliberately deploying this cheap tactic of hiding behind the Parkash Utsav of a martyr Guru to thwart the attempts of his opponents to bash his government’s functioning, possibly bring in a no-confidence motion and yet fulfilling the mandatory objective of having to call an Assembly Session within the stipulated time?

Why are the MLAs of Congress becoming a party to something that is clearly against the principles of Sikhism?  Legend has it that once a Christian priest on a round of the jail where Bhai Randhir Singh was imprisoned, ‘directed’ him to recite ‘Japji Sahib.’ Bhai Sahib, who spent 20 years in solitary confinement replied, “my Guru has mandated us to recite Japji Sahib, but if you force me to recite it, I will not.”

The MLAs should be demanding more time to discuss the people’s issues at a time when the state is in turmoil. Instead, they have not objected to a whip that tells them to go to the Assembly at 10 am to talk about the Sikh Guru.

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
Exodus 20:7 (Ten Commandments)

Title photo: Representational file photo