Are Sikhs against RSS or is there a conspiracy to create fissures in Sikh-Hindu relations?

 Cops preventing farmers who staged protest at the blood donation camp organized by the RSS in Punjab

The above news reminded me of some of the facts of current history and raise questions.

No one attacks a social service project, that too in the times of such a huge global disaster. All of us have welcomed wonderful sewa offered to Covid victims by various gurudwaras. So, why was RSS relief work attacked? This was not done even at the peak of Khalistani terror days of 1980s. It cannot be the work of common Sikh brethren. It has to be some agents of foreign powers who are out to damage the unbreakable bonds between Sikh-Hindu communities. Are Khalistani agents active more openly than they were earlier? Farmer agitation seems to be the right cover under which they can try their best to attack those who have opposed Khalistani forces and efforts to break the unbreakable Sikh-Hindu family bonds. My own Bhabhi ji and cousins are Sikhs.

Sikh brethren just need to go back a little in history and decide who are their friends or foes. The young ones who have no memory of the 1947 holocaust or 1980-1990 history will be surprised to note that it was always Congress that ditched or cheated Sikhs - before partition, during partition and after partition.

* RSS has always stood by Sikh brethren and so has BJP since its birth. RSS has accepted distinct identity of Sikh panth. Till recently all agreed that Sikhi is very close to Vedic Sanatani Hindu ethos than Islam. Still Khalistanis have tried hard to brush aside Vedic influence on Sikh panth and have tried to somehow build a narrative that Islam is closer to Sikh panth. It is a separate long topic, so I will not talk about it here. Let me talk only of political history of recent times.

* Before Partition, Sant Tara Singh had serious problems with Congress. What it promised during those days to the Sikh leaders like Master Tara Singh before Partition was not delivered.

* During partition, Akalis and RSS swayamsevaks fought on streets to save the women, children and men together across undivided Punjab. Hundreds of Sikhs and Hindus perished in the process. Such close was this relation that Mastuana Gurudwara invited the then RSS chief, Golwalkar Guruji, to the Gurudwara and offered him Saropa to felicitate him for protection of the Sanatani samaj (They welcomed him as a protector of Dharma, not differentiating between Sikhs and Hindus).

* During this period, Congress leaders fled Punjab and Sindh and kept pleading with Muslim League to stop violence but did nothing except appealing. They were seen nowhere except in meetings for government to enjoy power.

* It was Congress leaders who forced out Punjabi refugees in Delhi on roads in rains and by asking them to vacate masjids to appease Muslims who had fled to Pakistan Basically, it abandoned us all.

* Congress played games in not giving Punjabi language its due place. Though this problem was accentuated by Arya Samaj, real blame lay at Congress door as the ruling party. Congress kept delaying ingiving Punjabi language its due place. It was RSS Chief Guruji who firmly said that Hindus in Punjab must write their language in the census as Punjabi as that is their language, and it should be prime language of Punjab.

* India was re-organised on linguistic lines since 1953 but Punjabi suba was delayed for years and Punjabi suba was formed only in 1966. Again it was RSS Chief Guruji who criticised Congress for delaying creation of Punjabi suba. This is the root cause of bitterness in Sikhs.

* This was also done in a diabolical manner by Congress by keeping some issues pending so the state remained on the boil. Deliberate allocation of districts of Punjabi majority areas to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, keeping Chandigarh issue pending, all this was Congress game. This resulted in anger in Punjabis, rightly so.

* It was continuous needling of Akalis governments by Indira Gandhi, breaking their governments that resulted in Anandpur Sahib Resolution. In this lay the seeds of separatist ideas.

* It was Congress that abetted the creation of Khalistani groups to split Sikhs. Bhindranwale is the prime example of this political chicanery. It was RSS that fought in sustained manner, all the efforts to divide Hindu-Sikhs. This was at huge cost of lives of RSS people but saved the samaaj from division that terrorists wished.

* Rashtriya Suraksha Samiti Punjab was the prime mover in this. An ex-prachaarak Jai Krishan ji with Dr Laxmikanta Chawla, Dr Baldev Chawla headed this movement courageously.RSS members were punished for these efforts by Khalistanis. There were three major attacks on RSS shakhas for this sin of fighting separatists and not allow damage to Sikh-Hindu unity. Biggest attack was in Moga where 25 RSS members were martyred.

* 1984 genocide of Sikhs was handiwork of Congress. RSS swayamsevaks came forward across India to save Sikhs. Congress not only avoided any action against their leaders but rewarded them with election tickets, plum offices and ministries till anger became too high. Some of them are finally in jail only after BJP came to power. It took a Modi ji to be in power to put Congress culprits behind bars.

* CAA bill includes return of persecuted minorities including Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians etc. in Islamic neighbouring countries - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. But, Congress and its allies have opposed the bill tooth and nail. For some strange reasons Akalis too opposed the bill. This was despite respected Granthi ji's daughter being kidnapped in Shri Panja Sahib in Pakistan. So, who is friend of Sikhs? BJP or Congress or Akalis?

* Congress CM rejected Farm Bills and decided to implement its own version in Punjab. But, still he sparked fire by motivating farmers, nearly all of them Sikhs, to go to Delhi in the worst period of Covid crises. This was the latest salvo to create schism between Hindu-Sikh communities ably fired by Khalistani elements. It is an economic and structural reform that has no link to religion. It is not for Punjab but entire nation. But, it has been hijacked by extremist elements in the name of religion. So the fight is no more about laws but protection of Sikh panth. Dangerous game reminding us of 1980s.

If we consider the above historical facts, one wonders why the current anger and abuse is directed against BJP and/or RSS and not against the Congress. I hope our Sikh brethren will think over this hate promoted by people who find the idea of Khalistan cool.

Worst human rights abusers, namely Pakistan and its agents, cannot be friends of Sikh panth. A few names here and there of some fakirs do not absolve them of their crimes against Sikh Gurus and Hindu-Sikh community. Nor do their atrocities in Pakistan and Afghanistan offer any comfort to Sikhs and Hindus.

Those who refuse to learn from history are condemned to repeat it. Sikh brothers and sisters should not fall for political games of Islamists, Congress and Khalistanis. We are one and shall remain one.