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Bhai Bittu articulates diversity from CPI stage, gets kudos
WSN Bureau
 Bathinda:
For twenty years, the Sikh militants and the communists were two
different twains, never shall they meet under any political
paradigm. But evolution of politics and political aspirations has a
logic which brings together seeming rivals not only on the same
platform, but also along similar political articulation.
Many in Punjab were shocked when Akali Dal (Amritsar) senior vice
president Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu sauntered on to the CPI stage, his
100 supporters in tow, and sat besides CPI secretary general A.B.
Bardhan, former state secretary Joginder Dayal, CPI(M) state
secretary Balwant Singh and an extended Left's top brass. The
tension in the Leftist hearts was palpable, of course. No one knew
what Bittu may have to say.
After all, the Sikh militancy movement had witnessed the Left always
standing on the other side of the fence, refusing to see the
expression of genuine political aspirations even while recognising
the overly-powerful Centre repressing regional desires.
But years have passed, and everyone grows.
As Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu took the mike, a hushed silence fell upon
the restive crowd. Bang in the middle of Malwa, the two twains were
meeting. "Indian society, India's population, India's culture is a
story of diversity. There are diverse political colours, diverse
cultural consciousness, diverse aspirations. Then why is the
politics of this country being conducted in a narrowly defined line
of uniformity?"
This made sense, but Bittu was to articulate the point further. "The
issue of alliance is not just an electoral problem. The UPA and the
NDA are shameless enough to actually state in public that they were
facing compulsions of alliance politics. Firstly, the alliance is a
compulsion for them; then their actions are compulsions of the
alliance. Clearly, this is not an alliance of conviction," he said.
"What the Indian people must understand, what the Left and others
desirous to breakout of the death clasp of Congress and the BJP must
realise, is that an alliance is an expression of diversity and must
be borne out of conviction, not compulsion. We have many cultural
differences. We haev different traditions, different histories,
different memories, different perspectives on many issues. The
politics must have space for expression of this diversity and the
politics of alliance of conviction is the way forward for this
expression," Bittu said, striking a chord with the crowd as well as
the Left brass.
The moment he took his seat after appealing to the crowd to vote for
candidates of the third front, Bardhan moved forward to sit beside
him, the Left leaders hailed his ideas and Bittu had accomplished
what many had thought was near impossible -- an articulation of Sikh
aspirations in terms which others not only accept but also
appreciate. Bittu hailed the way the alliance in West Bengal was
being run.
"Evolution of thought is a two way process. I was sure that even as
my own thoughts have evolved, the communists and many others would
also have grown to understand things better," Bittu told the WSN in
a telephonic interview after the Bathinda tete-a-tete with the
Leftists.
Later, he said his experience of having the lunch that day with the
Left leaders, including Bardhan, was more educative. "I can't
imagine a Badal or an Amarinder stopping by a roadside dhaba and
having a lunch just as a common man does," he said. Political
lessons come in many forms. CPI rallies and dhabas could be equally
educative.
7 February 2007
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