By Hardev Singh Virk

Title of Book: Role of A Parliamentarian (Tarlochan Singh's Speeches, Mentions  & Questions in Rajya Sabha)

Edited by: Kehar Singh, Ex- Prof. Political Science, Punjabi University, Patiala

Reviewer: Hardev Singh Virk, Visiting Professor, SGGS World University, Fatehgarh Sahib

Publisher: Punjabi University, Patiala (2016); Pages: 228; Price: Rs. 300/-

The chief architect of this book, Sirdar Tarlochan Singh, was elected from the state of Haryana, with the support of BJP and INLD,  as an independent member of Rajya Sabha for a term of 6 years from August 1, 2004 to July 31, 2010. The book under review is unique in several respects. The Indian democracy is vibrant but hardly any Member of Parliament has published the record of his speeches delivered in the Houses of Parliament. Punjabi University has achieved a new milestone in its history by publishing this book. Preface of the book is written by Dr Jaspal Singh, Vice Chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala. Kuldip Nayar the renowned journalist, has written an appraisal of the book and its author. Introduction by the Editor, Kehar Singh, is highly illuminating. The book is bilingual: the original speeches in Hindi and their translation in English.

I may recount the striking points mentioned in the introduction as follows: (i) Tarlochan Singh (TS) raised issues in Parliament concerning local, regional, state, national, as well as international problems; (ii) The depth and breadth of his information about these issues is praiseworthy; (iii) The perseverance and determination displayed by TS in pursuing these issues need to be appreciated; (iv) The support he got for his views from his fellow parliamentarians across political divisions is marvellous, and (v) The liberal Sikh perspective which remained the focus and lodestar of his participation in debates of the Parliament.

The book is classified into seven sections: Sikh Issues, Agriculture, Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Sports, Miscellaneous Issues, Special Mentions and Questions in Rajya Sabha. The Editor has done his job well by introducing each section briefly. I agree and support the conclusion of editor: "Tarlochan Singh is a pragmatist and optimist. He believes that most of the problems faced by the Sikhs in Indian state can be fruitfully addressed through a meaningful participation and logical presentation in the democratic fora of the country".

Sikh Issues section starts with the speech delivered by TS on August 11, 2005 on the Report of Nanavati Commission in which he elaborates on the deficiencies of Report in a logical manner and took Justice Nanavati to task. The Report says that there was an organised attack on Sikhs and it was known that Police will not intervene but then why the report is silent on the question: "Who was the mastermind of this massacre at such a large scale". TS is very diplomatic in his criticism of the coterie of PM, who must have misled both Mrs. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. In his wisdom as MP and a devoted Sikh, TS made 2 suggestions to assuage the hurt feelings of the Sikhs: (1) To set up a "Truth and Reconciliation Committee" as it was done by Nelson Mandella; and (2) Govt. must name all the guilty persons and they must seek pardon; the Sikhs will forgive them. Despite these brilliant ideas of TS, the Govt. failed to act and Nanavati Report is gathering dust. TS concluded his speech with the sarcastic remarks: "The ifs & buts and whats & whys are irrelevant and meaningless. The issue before the Parliament is what the Commission has done? Commissions are set up to buy time and avoid public fury, and Reports are meant to be consigned to archives".

During discussion on Liberhan Commission report, TS squarely blames Indian judiciary which failed to deliver any judgement in Babri Masjid case during 15 years and thus kept the communal cauldron boiling. He referred to the bigger injustice done to the Sikhs in 1984 when Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) was attacked by the Indian army. TS brought a twist in the discussion on Babri Masjid when he quoted verbatim the hymns of Guru Nanak from Guru Granth Sahib recorded under Babar Vani: "Bringing the marriage party of Sin, Babar invaded from Kabul, demanding our land as a wedding gift". The soul of Babar must have felt the pangs in his grave as he was labeled as a  Sinner by these quotes of Guru Nanak!

TS is at his rhetoric best in his speech delivered on 14th December 2009 during a call attention motion on killing of Sikhs in 1984. He traces the history of Sikh sacrifices made for India and reminds the Parliament about the injustices meted out to Sikhs in Punjab. Anyone who reads his entire speech will become sentimental as it touches the emotional chords of the Sikhs. He reminds the Parliament: "Why didn't the earth shake when Mahatma Gandhi was murdered, how many Marathas were murdered in the country, because the murderer was a Marathi? When Rajiv Gandhi was killed, how many Tamils were killed? Why were only the Sikhs victimized, why the tree had to fall only on the Sikhs?". Again, TS is critical of role played by the Indian judiciary and CBI in dealing with the Sikh episode.

TS participated forcefully in the debate on Dera Sacha Sauda (12th May, 2007) and made a speech on the Black List of Sikhs (26 July, 2010). But the singular achievement for which TS will be remembered by coming generations of Sikhs is his advocacy of Anand Marriage Act for recording the Sikh marriages independently and out of the ambit of Hindu Marriage act. The amendment to 1908 Anand Marriage Act was moved by TS, the Bill went through all the necessary stages and finally adopted by the Parliament. Reading the queries of Members, it looks funny how this minor amendment was delayed by the Ministry of Law and how TS got the written support of SGPC and all MPs from Punjab and elsewhere cutting across party lines. I consider it as a feather in the turban of Sirdar Tarlochan Singh.

Participating in Foreign Affairs debate, TS pleads for issuing Visas to Sikhs who are barred to visit India due to political reasons, helping Sikhs settled in Italy and Spain by the Indian embassies, setting up Visa facility for visit to Pakistan at Amritsar, raising the turban issue in France, setting up religious shrines in Middle-East and helping Afganistan refugees to settle in India.

There are very important issues raised by TS during the debate on Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Parliament (8th March 2007). He reminds the august House that 1857 Mutiny was not the first war of Independence of India; why not take it back to 1709 when Banda Singh Bahadur defeated the Mughal empire to set up his independent Khalsa Raj? TS also raised the issue why Education Policy and the content of Text Books change with the change of Govt. at the Centre? He referred to a major omission in the address of President on the growth of population. I appreciate the way our MP reminded the President of India to take notice of growing Indian population at the rate of 3.5% when the target fixed by his Govt. is 2.1% only. He quotes how China has controlled population and made a tremendous progress in all spheres where as India is far behind in matters of health and nutrition.  

Tarlochan Singh deserves the credit for delivering his speech in Punjabi for the first time in the history of Indian Parliament. But this speech is not published in this book, we find its English version only. Hope the university records it in the revised edition. Another Bill of historical importance for the separate identity of the Sikhs in India moved by TS is the Constitution Amendment Bill (2005), in which the Clause 25 has been amended in such a way as to declassify Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists from the definition of Hindus. Being a private member's Bill, it is still pending for clearance in Parliament despite the strenuous efforts made by TS.

In the section on Agriculture, TS speeches highlight the problems of agricultural sector in Punjab and Haryana. He is critical of Central Govt. policies of not providing remunerative  support prices of crops commensurate with the cost of Inputs by providing data collected by PAU scientists to hammer his point of argument. He brings to the notice of Govt. the suicides being committed by marginal farmers due to non-payment of crop loans and asking for some mechanism to find a way out of this situation. He has pointed to the serious problem of water depletion in Punjab/Haryana due to wheat/paddy cycle. Recently, I reported this in my article: "Punjab in the grip of an Ecological Disaster: Is there a Solution" on Researchgate.

In section on Railways, TS points out lack of facilities for Senior Citizens, promotion of Punjabi language for use on Railway stations in Delhi/Haryana, and running of special trains for Nander in view of tercentenary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh. TS makes a fun of Govt. claim to create World class railway stations in India when there is utter lack of basic facilities for handicaps and old people at our stations. TS was instrumental in getting the name of Nander railway station changed to Hazur Sahib Nander during tercentenary year.

Participating in the debate on Information and Broadcasting Ministry in Parliament, TS points out the mischief of a private TV channel in blaming the Sikhs for division of India. He made suggestions to make a special film on Sikhs to project their true Identity at global level as they are being mistaken as Talibani or other brand of terrorists. To promote communal harmony and unity, TS suggested to relay programs on holy Guru Granth Sahib, as it has a universal appeal for the humankind. Last but not the least, the frequency of quality Punjabi programs needs to be enhanced on Doordarshan, which can be attractive in Pakistan and for Indian diaspora.

In section on Sports, TS brings to the notice of the Members the problems faced by the sportsmen and the sports bodies. He is also critical of too much patronage given to Cricket at the cost of other national sports. The section on Miscellaneous Issues shows the range of issues raised by TS concerning the state from which he got elected. He participated in debate on Urdu language, Health issues, role of Khap Panchayats in Haryana, role of Human Rights Commissions, debate on Terrorism, Women Reservation, Saving Girl Child, and Senior Citizens Bill. He is critical of working of Home Ministry for keeping a Black List of Sikhs.

The last section, Special Mentions and Questions in Rajya Sabha, is the longest one and deals with several dozen issues mostly related to sections already covered. TS raised the issue of conservation of monuments of Sultanpur Lodhi in Punjab with the Minister of Culture, Indian citizenship to Afgan nationals who migrated to India, Amritsar Airport as an International airport, TADA prisoners, Problem of Indians abroad without legal documents, recruitment of Punjabi teachers for Delhi/Haryana, problems of Punjabi farmers uprooted from villages of Union Territory Chandigarh whose land was acquired to rehabilitate Jhuggi dwellers, and many more issues of National and International importance. I was amused to find his concern for the illegal occupation of the land of Dr Hargobind Khurana, the Nobel Laureate of Punjab, in the state of Haryana.

I appreciate the efforts of Editor Kehar Singh and the help provided by Ujagar Singh in organising the complex and complicated material of debates into proper sections. However, I find some minor discrepancies in rendering the original text of speeches from Hindi to English. There is lot of repetition which is natural as the debates concern issues which were raised on different occasions but on identical themes. I guess spell check has not been used by the editor/publisher, leaving some serious mistakes in the text. The book is free from howlers except on page 3 (Introduction), where it is stated: "President of Bosnia is held responsible for massacre of Muslims in Bosnia  and being questioned in the World Court". In fact, it is Radovan Karadžić, President of Republika Srpska (Serb Republic), who has been held responsible for this massacre and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

I wish the Author (TS) to get this book translated into Punjabi and other Indian languages for the benefit of students of Political Science and general public, who may be interested to get a peep into the working of Indian Parliament.