The presence of BJP leader and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Girish Mahajan at the June 6 event held at the headquarters of Damdami Taksal in Mehta Chowk has placed both the Punjab BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in an uncomfortable political position.
Mahajan’s visit has attracted attention not merely because he became the first serving minister from any state government to attend the annual gathering at Mehta Chowk, but also because of the remarks he made from the stage. It was the first occasion when a BJP leader publicly referred to those who fought against the Indian Army during Operation Blue Star as ‘shaheeds’ (martyrs).
Addressing the gathering, Mahajan described Operation Blue Star as a military attack and termed June 6 a ‘black day’ in history. He accused the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of forcibly sending the Army into the Golden Temple complex. He paid tribute to those who died during the operation, describing them as martyrs. He also compared the 1984 military action to the historic invasions of Ahmad Shah Abdali.
Referring to the anti-Sikh violence that followed Indira Gandhi’s assassination in November 84, Mahajan said the atrocities committed against Sikhs were comparable to the injustices of Abdali period and expressed regret that despite the deaths of thousands of people, no one had been punished.
His remarks stand in contrast to the long-held position of the Punjab BJP, which has consistently opposed attempts to glorify or memorialise Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his associates who fought against the Army in 1984. The party has publicly resisted efforts to build memorials in their honour.
Senior Akali leaders also generally avoided publicly participating in the annual June 6 gatherings at Mehta Chowk. During the years of the BJP-Akali Dal alliance, ideological differences between the BJP and SAD over Damdami Taksal became particularly visible during the controversy surrounding the memorial of 1984 inside the Golden Temple complex. At the time, Punjab BJP leaders — led by then state BJP president Kamal Sharma — openly objected to the inclusion of Bhindranwale’s name on the memorial.
Mahajan’s presence on stage displaying portraits of Bhindranwale, former Major General Shabeg Singh and All India Sikh Students Federation leader Amrik Singh and concluding speech with “Jai Hind" was a rare combination witnessed at the Mehta Chowk.
The visit is also being viewed through the lens of evolving political equations.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), which has traditionally projected itself as the principal political representative of Sikh sentiments and has frequently invoked the memory of 1984 in its campaign against the Congress, has generally maintained a cautious distance from the June 6 anniversary events. This year’s gathering again reflected that approach.
Although Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami attended the programme, senior Akali Dal leadership, including Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, remained absent. Gargaj and Damdami taksal chief Harnam Singh Dhuma have shared a strained relationship in past, particularly over objections raised regarding Gargaj’s appointment. Last year, Dhuma had publicly opposed Akal Takht Jathedar to deliver the traditional Ghallughara message from the Akal Takht. However this year Dhuma himself missed the Akal Takhat function.
