Framing egalitarian governance and communal harmony as the cornerstones of his vision for Punjab, state BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon on Saturday said the party sought to establish Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s “Sarkar-e-Khalsa” in the state.
On his first visit to the national capital after being appointed Punjab BJP president, Dhillon laid down a broad political strategy for the election-bound state, placing Hindu-Sikh unity at its core.
“We will be guided by the principles of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and will seek to establish Sarkar-e-Khalsa in Punjab. The reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was known for interfaith harmony, egalitarian administration and a powerful military that maintained strict law and order. Maharaja Ranjit Singh successfully consolidated 12 main Sikh sovereign misls into a powerful Sikh empire and had Hindus among his prominent ministers. There were no faith-based differences under his rule,” Dhillon said in an exclusive interview with The Tribune, recalling that he had unveiled a portrait of the Sikh emperor at the BJP state headquarters on the day he was appointed.
Dhillon dismissed the Hindu-Sikh binary in Punjab as artificial and said, “Right from the days of terrorism, Punjab has rejected divisions between Hindus and Sikhs. We are one.” Describing the drug menace, deteriorating law and order and the depleting water table as Punjab’s top challenges, Dhillon said he had met five Union ministers to urge a more proactive role by the Centre in addressing the state’s issues.
“All Union ministers will be visiting Punjab starting next week to share the Centre’s and the BJP’s agenda with stakeholders, including the youth and farmers. The BJP government at the Centre is extremely concerned and very serious about Punjab,” he said.
In his meetings with Health Minister JP Nadda, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Housing Minister Manohar Lal, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Dhillon said he raised issues such as the shortage of doctors in government hospitals, weakening law and order, the need for crop diversification to prevent desertification and a roadmap to revive tourism in the state.
“I have proposed crop diversification as a solution to the current cycle of wheat and paddy cultivation, which is harming Punjab’s water table. The Punjab Government must also provide MSP on all crops on the lines of Haryana. I have recommended cargo terminals in Punjab so that local fruit and vegetable produce can be exported to markets in West Asia. Malerkotla has huge potential in this regard,” said Dhillon, outlining his agenda for the state, where the BJP plans to contest the 2027 Assembly elections independently.
The BJP leader also apprised the Union ministers about the flight of industry from Punjab. “The cycle industry has shifted to Uttar Pradesh. Our objective is to revive Punjab’s economy and restore its position as the number one state in the country,” he said.
Dhillon said he also met Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and thanked her for providing jobs to the kin of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He also attacked the Congress on the anniversary of Operation Bluestar, saying the party would have to pay for its sins.
“No Sikh can ever forget what the Congress did. June 6 will forever remain etched in the Sikh psyche as the day when the then Congress government attacked the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikh community,” Dhillon said after offering ardas at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi.
He said the wounds inflicted on the collective Sikh conscience could never be forgotten. “Every Sikh remembers this day with pain and pays homage to all those who lost their lives during that tragic period,” he said.
Dhillon added that remembering history was essential to ensure that it was never repeated.
