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JALANDHAR: With the state assembly elections now only months away, all political parties are opening promising prominence to communities and castes. With Jat Sikhs already assured dominance in state politics, BJP is pledging power to Dalits, which SAD is countering with Hindu and Dalit deputy chief ministers. Even with internal strife bubbling over, the Congress too is trying to strike communal balance.
While parties talk like they are inventing social engineering in Punjab, the fact remains that these safety valves already exist. For example, heads of two most important and highest Sikh institutions come from so called lower castes. Giani Harpreet Singh, acting Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, comes from scheduled caste (SC) background. Similarly, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Bibi Jagir Kaur comes from backward class (BC) background.