Jalandhar Parliamentary Constituency – a Historical Perspective

 

Jalandhar Parliamentary Constituency – a Historical Perspective

Chaudhary Santokh Singh

Jalandhar Parliamentary Constituency is currently in news because of the forthcoming bye-election due to sudden demise of the incumbent MP, Chaudhary Santokh Singh during the just concluded Bharat Jodo Yatra of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Political parties are fully engaged in picking up their prospective candidates for the prestigious constituency though the remaining term of the seat would
only be for less than a year before the regular elections of the Lok Sabha due to be held in April/May, 2024. Being a Jalandharite, I thought of digging some information on the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat, a high voltage political arena since 1952, the first general elections after independence under the new constitution.

Even before partition of the country, Jalandhar was an important centre of political and educational importance after Lahore. Due to the fact that most of the vernacular press (media) was located in Jalandhar and Jalandhar was a hub of excellent educational facilities, it retained its importance as the de-fecto capital of Punjab over-

shadowing Chandigarh. Jalandhar gave towering politicians and administrators as CMs of Punjab like Darbara Singh, Comrade Ram Kishan, Beant Singh besides the national leaders like Swaran Singh who remained a Minister in the Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi’s cabinets and Inder Kumar Gujral who remained a Central Minister and rose to the coveted position of the PM of India. I found from the Google Guru that in the 1952 elections one non-descript leader of the Congress, Hira Lal won the elections making way to a galaxy of political bigwigs of various parties namely; Swaran Singh of Congress, Iqbal Singh Dhillon of SAD, Rajinder Singh Sparrow of Congress, I.K. Gujral of Janta Dal, Yash of Congress, Umrao Singh

Harkishan Singh Surjet

of Congress, Darbara Singh of SAD, Balbir Singh of Congress, Rana Gurjeet Singh of Congress. In 2009 elections the Jalandhar Parliamentary seat became a reserved seat for SCs and Mohinder Singh Kaypee of Congress won the seat succeeded by Chaudhary Santokh Singh of Congress twice in 2014 and 2019. His sudden death has resulted in the bye election which is likely to be held soon, in the coming months. Apart from these winning leaders, political and public personalities of standing had been contesting the seat which included; Communist wig big, Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjeet, a staunch Ambedkarite, Lahori Ram Balley, Prakash Singh, a top IPS cop, Arya Samaji leader Editor of Pratap Group of Publications Varinder, Hans Raj Hans, a renowned singer among others. Some of these facts are a part of oral history.

It may be observed that most of the time Congress Party had been winning the seat with a clear edge over its opponents. Same is also true for the nine assembly seats which form the parliamentary seat of Jalandhar namely; Phillaur, Nakodar, Kartarpur, Adampur, Shahkot, Jalandhar West, Jalandhar North, Jalandhar Central and Jalandhar Cantt. In the recent elections in 2022, out of nine seats, Congress won five and AAP four. SAD and BJP were completely decimated. But, of late, it has been observed that Congress party is losing its stream like in the rest of India. Moreover, it seems the Congress families of Master Gurbanta Singh and Darshan Singh Kaypee could not maintain their hold in spite of the fact that they played their dalit card to the hilt. Nevertheless, the seat remains a prestigious one and all the political outfits are fully engaged in sort listing and picking up their candidates for the forthcoming contest and rightly so.

Choudhary Santokh Singh’s family is obviously interested in retaining their hold and is putting forward the names of wife of Chaudhary Santokh Singh, Karamjit Kaur, a retired teacher and educational administrator with a view to appropriate the sympathy vote in the aftermath of Chaudhary Sahib’s sudden death at the Congress’s biggest road show in recent years. The names of Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s and that of Mohinder Singh Kaypee’s are also doing the rounds as Congress candidates. The prestige of AAP, having lost the Sangrur bye election, the seat vacated by CM Bhagwant Mann himself, is also at stake. They would try their every best to win the seat with five sitting MLAs in the constituency. But their problem is real. AAP, seemingly, does not have any dalit face to make a much needed dent. AAP’s credentials are still suspect with regard to the dalit issues and dalits form about 40% of the electorate. SAD has a pre-poll alliance with BSP and certainly they would put up a strong candidate. BJP is equally serious in making their entry with an élan in the Punjab politics, in the post BJP-Akali goody goody days. It is certain that it is going to be a four cornered contest.

Now I come to my own prognosis of the coming scenario as a lay man but a concerned citizen and voter in the constituency. Congress would enter the race with their tested horses and known dalit faces. But it would be difficult for them to stand their ground. They have lost their touch with the masses with poor PR acumen. They don’t tend to reply to even written communications from even the intelligentsia of the community and take community for granted. I am sorry for this totally candid an overview. They are to change with the changing times. SAD, to my mind, would rope in their old and tested horse, former Adampur MLA or some retired high-profile Babu or a Sikh dalit face with considerable financial clout. I don’t think BSP would be interested in putting forward their claim and would rather tend to make the hay while the sun shines. May be a clean and honest retired bureaucrat would fit the bill.  Sad would need to pay little more attention in picking up their candidate to register their come back. BJP, with all the considerations of power at the centre and oiled and geared party machinery and the inherent support of RSS and its field agencies, has a clear chance to register a win. I think, BJP has the wherewithal to influence dalit Deras with political strategy and socio-cultural charam with particular reference to Seer Govardhanpur holy place in Banaras (Varanasi) and Guru Ravidass Mandir at Tughlakabad in Delhi. RSS’s recent stance on the caste-system may work as a catalyst in appropriating the dalit votes (my recent blog on the subject may of interest: http://diplomatictitbits.blogspot.com/2023/02/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-on-caste-system.html  . Due care is needed in picking up the BJP aspirant to the seat. It would be advisable to shun the old guards with a heavy baggage of the past. BJP leadership has the tendency to spring a surprise and take ‘out of the box’ decisions as they did in the case of President Ram Nath Kovind and President Droupadi Murmu. It would be advisable to come up with a candidate, a fresh face as a wind of change, with a socio-cultural background of striving for an integrated society with dalits as equal partners in the main stream of the society as visualized in the Samrasta programme of RSS. These factors would tend to work in favour of BJP. As regards the ruling AAP, it is a matter of honour and prestige for the party and its leadership. But the job is all the more difficult as AAP does have no credible dalit face to jump the fray in spite of the fact that it has  four sitting MLAs in the constituency. AAP’s candidate Justice Jora Singh in 2019 elections could not make his presence felt. AAP’s track record to cater to the needs of dalit communities remained dismal so far though dalits voted for AAP in assembly elections last year to bring about change (Badlab). But now they feel dejected. The coveted positions like Chairman of Punjab SC Commission and its members are lying vacant. The government of Bhagwant Mann does seem to be in a hurry to fill the posts. AAP should try and rope in some intellectual faces with administrative experience and public image from the dalit communities, if it intends to avoid further damage to its political standing in Punjab.

All said and done, the bye election to Jalandhar parliamentary seat will be a litmus test for all the major political formations in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Caste System

 

  RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Caste System

Caste system in India based on the Laws of Manu was one of the most challenging and responsible factor for India losing its independence in the past and also remained a major obstacle in the socio-economic development of the country till date. It never allowed India to be a comprehensive and inclusive society and

tended to divide the people on the basis birth and not worth. In spite of the fact that caste system has been abolished in the constitution of free India and all the citizens of India that is Bharat are equal before the law yet the scourge of caste system persisted in one way or the other. It is not only inhuman but also an anti thesis for the much needed harmony in the society. The main stream of the society and polity of the country are still struggling to change the mindset of the upper crst of the society and bring about Samrasta, equitable social order as visualized by our fore-fathers in the changed scenario. I always felt that our socio-cultural outfits never did their best to change the system in the name of so called Aastha on one hand and on the other; the ruling dispensations did not show political will to take the issue head on. It is a matter of gratification, of late; some fresh air has started blowing. The recent take on the caste system by no other than one of the top men in the socio-cultural hierarchy, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, has taken the courage of addressing the issue of caste system by putting the things in its perspective in the larger good of the country. Thank you Sir, I stand by you and wish that we take the matter seriously and save our beloved country and the society from these inhuman and degrading effects of caste system becoming a major hindrance in our development.

Before we proceed further, let us see as to who invented caste system in India? I am not a historian or a dharma Guru and may not know the so called religious explanations. I, as usual consulted the Google guru which informed me and I quote, “the caste system is a clever device invented by the Brahmins in order to place themselves on the highest ladder of social hierarchy.  It further adds. “Caste is a Brahmnic child of Indo-Aryan culture cradled in the land of the Ganges and then transferred to other parts of India.” Yet another assertion is, “caste system is a class structure that is determined by birth. Loosely, it means that in some societies, the opportunities you have access to depend on the family you happened to be born into. It is enough for a layman to understand that caste is manmade and has nothing to do with religion as such.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat speaking at a function in Mumbai on Guru Raavidass Jayanti on February 5 made an important statement on the caste system and urged all of us to discard the degrading an uncivilized system  said, “Based on scriptures, what the Pandits say is a lie. By getting entangled in this imagination of superior and

inferior castes, we have lost our way. This delusion has to be done away with.” "We are misled by caste superiority illusion and this illusion has to be set aside," he added. Mohan Bhagwat took on, and rightly so, on the caste system and said candidly "No one is high or low. On the basis of scriptures, scholars talk about caste-based highs and lows – they are lies. We have been confused by being trapped in the idea of caste. This confusion should be removed." Let us stand behind Mohan Bhagwat in this fight to eradicate the scourge of caste from the face of India for which the great Guru Ravidass and the modern Gurus like Babasaheb Ambedkar showed us the way to make our society clean of its ills. It is a matter of satisfaction to note that it is not for the first time Mohan Bhagwat has said his mind on the subject. In October 2022, speaking at a book launch in Nagpur, Bhagwat had said that “varna” and “jaati” (caste) should be completely discarded, adding that “the caste system has no relevance now… everything that causes discrimination should go out lock, stock and barrel.” He further explained his thinking on the subject as hosted in RSS-linked ‘Samvada’ website quoted Bhagwat as having said in Karnataka: “The main problems of Hindu society such as untouchability, differences and inequality exist mainly in the mind. These problems do not exist in the scriptures… These problems have existed in our minds for many generations and their solution will take time. We have to slowly work to remove them from our minds.” I wrote about this in my blog which may be accessed at: diplomatictitbits.blogspot.com/2022/10/rss-chief-on-varna-and-caste-cursory.html

These thoughts of Mohan Bhagwat have created flutter in many orthodox and vested quarters in the society. It has been reported in the media that even the RSS media head, Sunil Ambekar has given some clarifications on the far reaching statements in the face of obvious but unjustified opposition from the Thekedars of dharma, the Hindu priestly class. With the opposition latching on to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that caste system was not ordained by God but created by “Pandits”, RSS media person clarified  that by “Pandit”, Bhagwat meant “intellectuals” and not Brahmins. He added: “Sarsanghachalakji always speaks about social harmony. What he was saying is that everything that people may interpret from the scriptures may not be right. And he was talking about the experience of Sant Ravidas. No one should take it in the wrong context and hurt social harmony. The RSS has always spoken against untouchability and protested against all social divisions.”

With or without clarifications, let us, to my mind, take Mohan Bhagwat’s statements at their face value. It is up to him to see how he defends himself. It is his problem. Why I say so is because some of the vested interests on the other side too tend to doubt the

credentials of Mohan Bhagwat. We are interested in a casteless society as stipulated in the constitution of India. Any effort, big or small, in bringing about Samrasta in the society should be appreciated and supported. There is no other way as Babasaheb said, “Political democracy has no meaning if it is not transformed it into a social and economic democracy” From where the caste system came? Who created it? How did it flourish? These questions are irrelevant to a common man like me. Leave it to Pandits the so called intellectuals to break their heads on these useless excercisaes. We are interested in eating Aams (mangoes) and not counting Guthalies (mango stones). We want casteless society to live in harmony and with dignity. It will be a befitting tribute to Guru Ravidass who thoughtfully said in his vani:

कह रविदास खलास चमारा;

जो हम शहरी सो मीत हमारा.

 

 

Train to Banaras - Begumpura Express

 

Train to Banaras - Begumpura Express

Train to Pakistan of Khuswant Singh is a famous narration on the partition of India. Of late, yet another train – Train to Banaras – Begumpura Express from Jalandhar to Varanasi, steals the headlines

At Jalandhar Railway Station on February 2

in the vernacular media of North India every year successively in the month of January/February as a curtain raiser to the celebrations of the Gurpurab of Guru Ravidass, a social revolutionary of medieval times. I thought of sharing some bits and pieces of this annual event which has become a great motivator and prompter of the followers of the great Guru not only in India but beyond to seek and appropriate their social empowerment.

The train was started by Sachkhand Dera Ballan of Jalandhar, the great dera of the Doaba region of Punjab, under the stewardship of the then head of the Dera Sant Garib Dass more than two decades ago. It was widely welcomed and caught the imagination of the followers of Guru Ravidass who tended to go to Varanas to pay obeisance at the Seer Goverdhanpur Holy Site, the birth place of Guru Ravidass at Kanshi on the Aagman Diwas (birthday) of the great Guru.  The site was searched, explored and identified by Baba Banta Singh Ghera of Ad-dharam Mission and his associates including the great Sants of Dera Sachkhand Ballan namely; Sant Sarwn Dass, Sant Hari Dass, Sant Garib Dass and their successors; Sant Niranjan Dass, the current Gadinasheen (Head) of the Dera and Shaheed Sant Ramanand who was assassinated in 2009 at Vienna (Austria) by some fundamentalist Sikhs among others. The site was formally taken over by a Trust created by Dera Sachkhand Ballan for building a befitting memorial of Guru Ravidass.  The plot of land at the premises which was registered in the name of a couple prominent residents of Bootan Mandi, a nerve centre of dalit consciousness in Jalandhar,  some times in 1968-69 with the funds collected from the leather traders of the area spearheaded by Guru Ravidass Youth Club of which I happened to be the then General Secretary as a young student before I migrated Delhi in the pursuit of career to earn my bread and butter, was duly transferred to the Trust with the efforts of Manohar Lal Mahey, the then Secretary of the Trust and the then Mayor of Jalandhar, Surinder Mahey, both my fellow BootanMandians. The revered Sants of the Dera and the Trust, under the directions of Sant Ramanand, a visionary Sant, involved the bigwigs including President K.R. Narayanan, Babu Kanshi Ram, Behn Mayawati among others and also the well to do followers of Guru Ravidass abroad namely, Swaran Banger, Hans Raj Banga,

both of the UK, among others and did his every best to make the site at Sere Goverdhanpur a site of excellence as a tribute to Guru Ravidass. As a natural corollary to all this the Begumpura Express, the famous train has become an important event in the calendar of Dera Sachkhand Ballan and the teeming millions. I understand more such trains have been added from other cities of Punjab to cater to growing demand of the ardent followers of the Guru. It is a matter of gratification to note that the trains are booked on payment on first come-first served basis on payment. The sundry expenses on the train arrangements are borne by the Dera and voluntary donations. Thoughtfully, the Gadinasheen Sant of the Dera leads the Faithfulls in the train every successive year. The train stops at all big stations on the way where the followers of the Guru flock to the station to welcome the elegantly decked up train with cooked langars (food) and other eatables amidst Kirtan of Gurvani (recital and singing of hymns). The Train – Begumpura Express has, thus, become a much acclaimed and saught after event in the celebration of the Guru Ravidass Jyanti. It was gratifying to note that this year the Begumpura Express was flagged off by the Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann with all solemnity and

At Jalandhar Railway Station on February 2.

reverence. With these activities, Seer Govardhanpur in Kashi has become a holy place of pilgrimage for millions of devotees. All political dispensations, both the ruling and opposition, fall on each other to show up on the Gurpurab and meet the Sant Maharaj of Dera Schkhand Balan with a view to woo the dalit vote banks. Let it be but, to my mind, the Dera has yet to optimized the situation skillfully to make the ruling dispensations to do more to empower the weaker sections of the society and get their due share in the corridors of power. The initiatives like the Train to Banaras tended to generate much needed awareness and made the society stand up for their rights. We need to think of and take such more initiatives for the great good of the community. The Begumpura Express is a blessing of Guru Ravidass as Kaler Kanth said in the folk lore:

ਕਾਂਸ਼ੀ ਨੂੰ ਗੱਡੀ ਜਾਣੀ ਆਂ; ਕੋਈ ਜਾਉ ਨਸੀਬਾਂ ਵਾਲਾ।

Guru Ravidass – a Social Revolutionary

 

Guru Ravidass – a Social Revolutionary

The Gurpurab of Guru Ravidass falls on February 5 this year.  The followers of Guru Ravidass celebrate and observe the day throughout the world with all solemnity and gaiety and rightly so as Guru Ravidass’s mission and thought gave them a sense of confidence that they were no less or inferior as the main stream of the society made

them to be. Guru Ravidass was a great Saint of the Bhakti Movement of medieval times in the 16^th century along with his contemporaries; Satguru Kabir, Guru Nanak among others. Guru Ravidass was a widely recognized and revered personality of his times not only spiritually but also as a revolutionary social reformer as a voice of the underdog and discriminated segments of the society who were condemned to inhuman behavior by the so called upper castes on the basis of the then prevailing (sadly this social ill still persists to date) caste system (Varna Vibastha). Guru Ravidass’s teachings and philosophy, obviously, got wide spread acceptance and recognition throughout India and proved itself revolutionary to reform the society of its ills on one hand. He also propounded canons of good governance, on the other hand,  which is called ‘democratic socialism’ propounded on the basis of known principles of ‘Equality, Liberty, Justice and fraternity which later were adopted as the fundamentals of the Indian constitution, and rightly so. It was a matter of great satisfaction that the Sikh Gurus, fully understanding and following, the social philosophy of Guru Ravidass, thoughtfully, included the Vani (poetic teachings) in the Guru Granth Sahib and as such the teachings of the great Guru got further currency and acceptance as a potent voice to reform the society and live a pious life as honourable citizens and good human beings. I thought of sharing some of the thoughts of Guru Ravidass particularly on the casteless society, social harmony and also good governance which are as relevant today as these were before as my humble tribute to the great Guru on his Gurpurab on February 5 and to greet my fellow countrymen in these days of increasing social animosity and eroding moral values.

Like his contemporaries like; Guru Nanak, Satguru Kabir among others, Guru Ravidass following the social dictum of Toil and Share ‘Kirat Kar Te Band Sak’ of Guru Nanak, he remained a commoner and a family man socially throughout his life unlike some of the traditional Godmen shouting from the rooftops to carry forward their vested agenda to keep subjugated a large chunk of the society by terming them as Shurdas (low castes) and Achutas (untouchables).

I am no authority on the Gurvani but, as a follower Guru Ravidass, try to understand and adopt some of the lofty ideals as a humble man; particularly the ones which are relevant in the contemporary times with regard to our day to day living:-

·       Guru Ravidass’s very apt, famous and potent Sabad (poetic message) – Begumpura Shehar Ka Naon (the city of joy) is a treatise on the form and functioning of a state based on the lofty ideals of a modern state which we call ‘Democratic Socialism’ in constitutional and political parlance.  The English rendering of the Sabad done by Prof. Joginder Singh Bedi in the booklet ‘The Hymns of Sri Guru Ravidass ji’, written and complied by Dr. Lekh Raj Parwana, reads as follows:

“The city of joy is the name of the city

Suffering and sorrow abide not there

Neither is there worry of paying taxes

Nor does any hold property

Neither fear of punishment for error of decline

This fine place of habitation have I found

Brother, there weal perpetually reigns

Start of the Shobha Yattra rom Bootan Mandi, 2022

Eternally fixed is the kingship therein

No second or third are there; all are alike

Ever fully populated famous is that city

Those abiding therein are prosperous opulent

There people disport themselves as they please

All are inmates of that mansion; none bars any

Sayeth Ravidass, the cobbler, freed from all bonds

Whosoever is the citizen of that city is our friend”

Guru Ravidass was a social revolutionary of the first order. He said in this vani:

Aisa Chahun Raj Mein;Yahan Mile Saban Ko Ann,

Chot Bade Sab Sum Vasen; Ravidass Rahe Parsan

(I want that form of polity and administration in which no one should remain hungry. All, rich or poor, should be equal before the law; Ravidass will only be happy then)

 

During his life time he suffered the tyrant of suppression and subjugation and stood against any kind of slavery or serfdom in the society. Guru Ravidass candidly said:

 

Pradhinta Paap Hai; Jaan Lyo Re Meet,

Ravidass Pradheen Se Kaun Kare Hai Preet.

(Slavery is sin. You should know this my friends. Nobody loves subjugated people).

 

Opposing the caste based discrimination and openly spoke against the caste system and said, “Ravidass Janam Ke Karne Hot Na Koi Neech” (Nobody is low only because one was born in a low caste family)

Guru Ravidass’s social philosophy is potent and carries considerable weight in these days of strife and animosity in the society. Apart from this, I like and try my best to follow the pragmatic approach of humility and good company in life as thought by the great Guru:-

 

Tum Chandan Hum Rind Bapure; Sang Tumhare Vasa,

Neech Rukh Te Unch Bhaye Hain; Gandh Sugandh Niwasa

At Langar on Gurpurab 2022

(English rendering by Prof. Joginder Singh Bedi) –

You the sandal tree; we the poor castor plants

Nearby you we abide

From a lowly plant have I become a noble tree

 

With this, I take this opportunity to pay my hearty tributes to the great social reformist, Krantikari Guru and harbinger of a just and equitable social order and greet my fellow countrymen on the Gurpurab of Guru Ravidass.

Let us transform India that is Bharat into Begumpura, as visualized by the Great Guru.