Sandeep Singh: Anger & Betrayal, Farmers React To Sirsa’s Move To BJP
“We burnt Sirsa’s effigy today. We used to interact with him here. He used to claim that he had nothing to do with the BJP.”
Sandeep Singh
December 2, 2021 | 2 min. read | Original Reporting
Amidst what had been an otherwise celebratory mood at Singhu, farmers gathered on Thursday to make an effigy of Manjinder Singh Sirsa who resigned from the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and joined the ruling BJP on Wednesday.
The protest has taken many turns over the last year, but this “betrayal” seems to have caught some by surprise as many had considered Sirsa “their own”.
Nachatar Singh shares that many farmers like him use to praise Sirsa for all he had done to serve the movement, but he is a traitor now.
“Sirsa is a Sikh and he was helping us during the Farmers’ Protest. Suddenly, he joins the BJP and now we feel that he betrayed Sikhs and became Modi’s ally. Sirsa has let down Sikhs, Punjabis, and our Gurus.”
Kuldeep Singh, from Moga distinct in Punjab, has been at Singhu for the last seven months.
“We burnt Sirsa’s effigy today. We used to interact with him here. He used to claim that he had nothing to do with the BJP.”
Kuldeep also considers Sirsa as a traitor to all Sikhs, as many see the BJP as an anti-Sikh party. He adds that Sirsa will be remembered in history as such as well and that farmers will protest against Sirsa when he campaigns for votes.
Deep Sidhu also spoke on the controversy.
He wrote in a Facebook post, “Sirsa used to call Modi and Amit Shah Aurangzeb” highlighting the hypocrisy of the move.
“If Sirsa wanted to join the BJP then why did he try to show to the world that he is with farmers,” he added.
Some others were not as shocked by Sirsa’s announcement, considering his past history with the BJP. In fact, his track record with the party is well documented and known. Farmers share that while Sirsa has stood strongly for the Sikh community when needed, he has not hesitated to align himself with BJP style rhetoric.
Sirsa has earned a lot of goodwill over the past year between providing langar at protest sites and challenging the “godi” media and state propaganda.
He also played a pivotal role after the January 26 Republic Day tractor rally in providing critical support to detained farmers via the DSGMC and SKM legal team. It was often Sirsa standing with farmers when they were released from Tihar jail. Sirsa’s ability to navigate media and social media for the promotion of the agitation earned him trust and popularity on the ground here.
However, sentiments have changed rapidly as a result of his move to the BJP.
Sandeep Singh hails from Machhiwara, Punjab. As an independent journalist, he has worked with many prominent Indian news organizations. Sandeep has been following the farmer’s protest in Punjab since its onset and traveled with them to Delhi. He spends most of his time at the Singhu border protest site. You can follow Sandeep on Twitter @Punyaab
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