Why is Kejriwal silent on the Khalistan-Canada controversy?

New Delhi: Even as India is engaged in an international diplomatic stand-off with the Canadian government over the western government’s open backing to Khalistani elements, one of the major outcomes on the national political scene has been a stoic silence maintained by Aam Aadmi Party strongman Arvind Kejriwal.

Despite being in power in Punjab, a state which had seen the major brunt of Khalistani violence over the past few decades, the AAP has not deemed it fit to comment on the ongoing issue and maintained complete silence over the issue.

It has been pointed out by AAP’s opponents that while Kejriwal is enthusiastic in commenting regarding every sundry issue, he has deliberately not spoken on the controversy fearing getting stuck in a catch-22 situation.

The party is fearful that it may offend a major section of its supporters in India and abroad if it comments on the ongoing controversy, sources said. It was understood that if AAP backed the Indian government's stand it could adversely affect its vote bank in Punjab. And if the Kejriwal-led party says anything against Narendra Modi government’s move it could hurt AAP's prospects in other parts of the country, including the national capital.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has been vocal in its opposition to AAP and had earlier alleged that the party has links with separatist elements. And the charges have piled on ever since the AAP secured a landslide victory in the 2022 Assembly elections. A month after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took over, Patiala was witness to a clash between pro-Khalistan activists and right-wing Hindu organizations. In November last year, a Hindu nationalist leader was killed, allegedly by a pro-Khalistani youth. Such incidents have been reported from Punjab over the past few months as well, with the opposition also alleging funding of these elements by the AAP during the anti-farm laws protest which saw a siege being laid on Delhi’s borders.

Over the past few days, BJP has been taking jibes at AAP claiming that the party leadership has been seemingly busy with celebrations of the high-profile wedding of its leader Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra.

While AAP has refrained from commenting on the growing controversy, its opponent in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal has tried to back the hardline elements in a feeble attempt at garnering the fundamentalist Khalistani voters. Instead of backing the Indian government, the SAD claims that this controversy could end up alienating Punjabi youth by painting them as fundamentalists and separatists.

Interestingly, on the need for strong action against Khalistanis, the Congress leadership has completely supported the BJP and given its total support to the Central government to deal with separatist elements.

It was also felt that unless AAP makes a public statement on the issue it will also be prudent on the part of its INDIA bloc ally, the Congress, to maintain a distance from it.

With AAP firmly in power in Punjab and also having a Pan-India expansion plan, after securing a national party status from the Election Commission of India, it is high time that the leadership of the party comes clean regarding its stand on Khalistan and other separatist elements.

The Kejriwal-led party would need to clear all doubts being raised against it by the opposition and also establish that it is a unit which will back the nationalist cause without fear of losing one or two elections. The onus is on AAP to ensure that any misgivings regarding its support of any anti-India ideology are cleared beyond any doubt.