Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | Punjab discourse hinges on pain of Operation Blue Star

Chandigarh: Over a hundred big posters showing the images of the shattered Golden Temple in Amritsar post the Operation Blue Star in 1984 have come up in Punjab's Faridkot, some 230 km from the capital city Chandigarh. At the entrance of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, in the revered Golden Temple, a replica of the damaged structure has been prominently placed for visitors to rekindle their memories about the military action.

The political discourse has altered as the border state heads towards the last leg of Lok Sabha election campaigning.

The June 1 polling coincides with the 40th anniversary of the army's Operation Blue Star launched to flush out militants holed up inside the sacred Sikh shrine. The SAD (Badal) and the hardliner Khalistan protagonists in poll fray are pushing the narrative to draw the attention of the voters towards the atrocities on the Sikh community and their faith during the Congress regime under Indira Gandhi.

'Neither can be forgotten nor forgiven', read the posters in Punjabi. In every Punjab district at least 50 such posters have been put up by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the elected Sikh body controlling majority of Sikh shrines in the country and governed by the SADS (Badal).

Meanwhile, SAD chief and former deputy CM Sukhbir Badal implores voters in his rallies not to forget the atrocities on Sikhs and the Operation Blue Star.

As the SAD stares at a downward trajectory in this election, bringing to center stage the painful memories of 1984 could add some traction to their chances of staying afloat. The radicals too could garner some gains.

In poll fray this time are two prominent Khalistan ideologues: Simranjit Singh Mann, the sitting MP from Sangrur, and controversial ‘Sikh preacher’ Armritpal Singh, who is contesting the Khadoor Sahib seat from Dibrugarh jail in Assam as he is facing NSA charges. Besides, the son of the assassin of Indira Gandhi is contesting the parliamentary election from Faridkot. There are more radicals contesting elections this time in Punjab.

The SGPC and the Jathedar (head priest) of the Akal Takht, Raghbir Singh, are asking people to wear black turbans or black dupattas (head scarf worn by women) from June 1 to June 6 as a protest against the 1984 military operation. While each year the Blue Star anniversary is observed by the SGPC as a subdued affair, this election season is seeing a departure of sorts from the norm.

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