It was the instantaneous and heroic response by a person guarding Sukhbir Singh Badal that prevented a known terrorist and Khalistan sympathiser from assassinating the Akali Dal leader. (This hero had not been named by the media even hours after the incident while every other aspect was reported on the TV channels. So much for the priorities.)
This attempted killing is just another chapter in the long saga of Punjab’s decline caused by the rise of fundamentalist ideology. Part of the reason is that support for the cause comes from not just Pakistan’s ISI, but also safe havens provided to terrorists by other so called democratic countries like Canada, the US, Australia, etc. The obsession of Punjab’s youth with emigrating to these promised lands has further enhanced the terrorists’ clout beyond the perversion of religious belief. As such, a cause that had been greatly marginalised after the tragedies of the troubled decades, has found takers among the generation born after the problematic years. The political system allowed the glamourisation of terrorism in folklore, even attempted to benefit from it. The youth are unemployed because entrepreneurs and industry are still wary of investing in the state, while crime and drugs seem to provide a way out of the hopelessness. Has the refuge given to these elements by Canada, etc., been due to ignorance of the reality, or has it been a deliberate policy to obtain leverage against India? It seems to be the latter, and the brazenness with which the cause is being promoted highlights that.
Punjab voted out the traditionally dominant Congress and the Akali Dal in the hope that the Aam Aadmi Party would do a better job of dealing with the real issues. After a stumbling start, it has not done too badly and probably would do better if it was not so Kejriwal-centric. The fact that fundamentalist activity has been ratcheted up indicates that the K groups are unhappy with that. Hence the attempts to polarise politics in the state.
Badal’s penance at the Akal Takht was the culmination of attempts to resolve long-pending issues. The Akali Dal has always drawn power from its religious association. As the party’s spokespersons have pointed out, the attack was an effort to destroy the political ‘middle-ground’. That it has been thwarted means the attempt to further polarise the state has been foiled for the time being. This is further reason to celebrate the as yet anonymous hero’s spontaneous courage.
