Having flushed out the terrorists from the Golden Temple, the government faces a dilemma to which there can be no neat solution. If it is legitimately keen to ensure that the Khalistanis are not able to use the temple complex as a sanctuary and fortify it, for the third time, it cannot wish to take it over directly or indirectly through its nominees. Similarly, while it cannot but distrust the Tohra faction which passes for the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee in view of this group’s ambivalence towards, indeed support for, the terrorists, it cannot go in for fresh elections because there can be no assurance that these would produce a significantly different kind of SGPC which can be depended upon to behave in a more responsible manner. And while there can be no question that the SGPC Act is badly flawed and needs to be amended drastically, not along lines proposed earlier in a fit of irresponsible appeasement, but along very different lines, which would oblige the committee to do all in its power to prevent misuse of gurdwaras under its control, such an overhaul of the set is best done with the consent of a significant section of the Sikh community which cannot possibly be obtained in the existing circumstances.
This is one facet of the complicated situation in Punjab. There has to be another facet – the SGPC one. We cannot be sure whether its leaders, whether in jail or outside, are aware that they too are in a spot. But they are, objectively speaking. If they push the government too far, they may lose access to the enormous funds and patronage the control over the gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple, gives them. For all we know, they are not fighters; they are at best or at worst manipulators anxious to ensure that they stay at the top of the rich pile. Their leader Mr G.S. Tohra is certainly the cleverest manipulator Punjab and the Sikhs have seen for a long, long time. Indeed, it is difficult to recall a Sikh leader since the death of Master Tara Singh who can be said to match him. Mr Pratap Singh Kairon was a master politician-administrator and not a master manipulator. So it was only to be expected that Mr Tohra and his men would side with Bhindranwale against Sant Longowal and with Parkash Singh Badal against Mr Surjit Singh Barnala. His release is almost certain to create grave complications at least so long as the back of the terrorists is not broken. Clearly the government cannot take such a risk. But what about dealing with the others?
In a sense, a dialogue between the government and the SGPC is already on. On its part, the government has initiated the dialogue in the very act of listing through the deputy commissioner, Amritsar, certain conditions on which it is prepared to return control of the Golden Temple complex to the Tohra SGPC. And that SGPC has responded. It is possible to read the SGPCs statement in two contradictory ways. On the one hand, it is possible to argue that the committee has refused to cooperate with the authorities in preserving the sanctity of the Golden Temple; and, on the other it would not be implausible to infer that the SGPC has left the door open for further talks. In between perhaps falls the desire to buy time. The SGPC could wish to wait and watch which way the battle goes. If the security forces have the better of the terrorists in a decisive way, the SGPC would in all probability decide to be more cooperative with the government. If not, it would almost certainly become much more strident.
It is not necessary to spell all this out to repeat the point that the security forces must press their attack on the terrorists. But that does not answer the question as to what the government should do in respect of the SGPC. In plain terms, should it, or should it not, be allowed to manage the Golden Temple? This is an extremely ticklish question to answer for those of us who do not know what is going on behind the scene. Even so we would say that it may not be a bad idea for the deputy commissioner, Amritsar, not to insist on written guarantees and continue the talks with the SGPC with a view to finding a middle meeting ground. The government has also to decide whether or not to release the priests soon. Again, without being dogmatic, we would think that the government should release them. We were opposed to their release in the first instance. But in the present instance, they were arrested in order specifically to prevent them from hampering the “Operation Black Thunder” at the Golden Temple complex and the operation is over.