Hardly anyone has taken at its face value the Union home minister, Giani Zail Singh’s statement that some foreign agency is responsible for the current trouble in Punjab. This speaks for the low credibility of the government. Gone are the days when it could hope to fob off anyone with such explanations. The people want credible evidence which those in authority have so far failed to provide. Moreover, even if it is accepted for the sake of argument that an external agency is at work, its role cannot be said to be more than marginal. For the pusillanimous and lackadaisical manner in which the Union and state governments have handled developments in Punjab in the last four years is enough to explain the present denouement. The Congress (I) was, of course, not in office in 1977-78 when the extremists among the Akalis began to whip up passions against the generally peaceable Nirankaris. But its leaders had had more than enough warning by the time when they were returned to power in New Delhi in January 1980. Since the big armed clash between the Akalis and the Nirankaris on April 13, 1978, the former had carried on a virulent campaign against the latter leading to fights in several other towns. Thus the murder of the Nirankari chief, Baba Gurbachan Singh, in Delhi on April 24,1980, should have sent warning bells ringing and convinced the Union government of the need to deal with the extremists with the utmost firmness. It did nothing of the kind. The result is there for the whole country to see. The Dal Khalsa is a direct offspring of the extremists who stirred up hatred against the Nirankaris.
A great deal has been said and written about the way some of the Congress (I) leaders helped the most extremist of the Sikh leaders, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, to emerge as a key figure in the community’s politics in Punjab. Much of it has not been and cannot be controverted. Some prominent Congress (I) leaders did use him to aggravate the factional struggles among the Akalis and in the process raised a Frankenstein which they have been unable to dispose of. The internal tussle within the state Congress (I) leadership spearheaded on the one side by Giani Zail Singh and on the other by the state chief minister, Mr. Darbara Singh, has also undermined its capacity to deal with mischief-mongers with the necessary determination and courage. But it is less pertinent to dig up the past than to devise the necessary measures to take care of the problem. Too much is at stake to permit Mrs. Gandhi to hand over the job to someone else. She has to take charge of the task personally despite her other preoccupations, however urgent and pressing these preoccupations. She will need to take some harsh decisions. But she will also need to enlist the cooperation of other parties and organisations, especially the Bharatiya Janata party and the RSS, to ensure that their followers and supporters use all their influence to prevent retaliation against the activities of some dangerous men trying to promote Hindu-Sikh clashes.The Hindus have behaved with commendable restraint in the face of acts of sacrilege. They must continue to act in this fashion. But the authorities too must demonstrate that they will not spare any effort to bring the lunatic fringe in the Sikh community under control. Otherwise the restraint may break down. The prospect is too awesome to contemplate.