For many in Punjab, Navjot Singh Sidhu has emerged as the hero of the Kartarpur Sahib issue. This is partially true. While Sikh organisations have been raising this demand for decades now, it was Sidhu’s visit to Pakistan last year and his meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief Qamar Bajwa that proved to be crucial in making it reality.
According to Axis and India Today’s opinion poll ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress’ success in Punjab was largely due to Sidhu’s popularity after the Kartarpur Sahib issue. The party did well even as it performed poorly across the country and despite Captain’s dipping popularity as CM.
The survey said 42 percent of the respondents in Punjab credit Sidhu for the Kartarpur Sahib corridor as opposed to 15 percent and 14 percent who credited PM Modi and CM Amarinder Singh respectively.
Sidhu’s own popularity increased four-fold between January and October 2018.
However, after the Lok Sabha polls, matters became difficult for Sidhu in Punjab. Captain, who hadn’t let Sidhu campaign much in Punjab, began actively sidelining him. With Rahul Gandhi taking a backseat, Sidhu got little support from the Congress’ central leadership. He resigned from the Punjab Cabinet a few months ago and grew silent.
But the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor has given Sidhu a chance to stage a revival.
In the past few weeks, he has slowly escalated his confrontation with the Centre as well as with Captain Amarinder Singh.
He sought permission to attend the inauguration function on the Pakistan side, but both the Centre and state dragged their feet on the matter, giving Sidhu a chance to gain mileage.
Many say that Sidhu may make his move in Punjab politics soon after the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor has been inaugurated.
Sidhu is not a Panthic politician. In fact, he is known to follow many Hindu practices and is a known devotee of Mata Vaishno Devi. But the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor has made him an unlikely hero for many religious Sikhs.
A curious player in this entire issue has been Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. There is a great deal of debate around his motives. Captain Amarinder Singh, a section of the Central government and many national security analysts allege that the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor is a dangerous ploy by Khan to revive the Khalistan movement.
But he has also received a great deal of praise from many Indian Sikhs for not just making the corridor a reality but also for the infrastructure his government has built around the Gurdwara in a short period of time.
For Khan, this is beneficial in several ways. Internationally, it helps him project an image that his regime stands for peace in South Asia and is sensitive to the needs of religious minorities in Pakistan.
Within Pakistan, many people hold Guru Nanak in high esteem and would naturally be happy at this development.
More crucially, it helps him in his efforts vis-a-vis India. Besides the obvious part of winning the goodwill of Sikhs, it has enabled him to put Modi in a confusing position of pushing through a Pakistan-initiated project even in the middle of a diplomatic confrontation over the Kashmir issue.
Even an informal survey of Sikhs in Punjab would tell you that among the politicians, it is Sidhu who is getting the maximum praise for making Kartarpur Sahib Corridor reality and Imran Khan’s efforts are also being appreciated. PM Modi too is receiving praise for not letting Indo-Pak tensions hamper the project.
However, Captain’s image appears to have taken a hit among Sikhs.
But truly, the credit doesn’t lie with leaders, all of whom might be operating based on their calculations.
The praise should all go to activists like Bhabhishan Singh Goraya, president of Sangat Langah, Kartarpur and Gurinder Singh Bajwa of the Kartarpur Sahib Darshan Abhilakhi Sanstha among others.
They have selflessly been petitioning both the Indian and the Pakistani governments for decades, hoping that Sikh pilgrims in India get a chance to have a hassle-free darshan of the Gurdwara.
The success also belongs to humble Sikh masses who have been praying for this moment for years.
Above all, it was the inclusive philosophy of Guru Nanak that made two squabbling South Asian nations come together and make this happen.
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