Reader’s Column: I am Punjab, the land of five rivers; give me justice

The horrors of Partition lie buried beneath me. I had the courage to till, toil and rebuild. I was happy, crafting a new chapter, ushering in the Green Revolution in this beautiful, independent India. My country. My home.

I will not repeat the contributions my people made in the freedom struggle — now forgotten and brushed aside. Instead, I want to speak of my life post-1947. Reeling from the loss of my Lahore, I built a modern, secular capital, designed by the Swiss–French architect Le Corbusier, the first planned city of post-Independence India.

But the tragedy of Partition had already reshaped me. I had lost 60 per cent of my territory to Pakistan. Punjab was no longer truly the land of five rivers. My water division is another saga altogether.
My people, Hindus and Sikhs alike, are a brave lot. Their valour shines in their defence of our borders. India and Pakistan have fought four wars since Independence, beginning with the 1947–48 war over Kashmir. My soldiers have always given their best, many giving their lives for the nation.

I am the land of Sufis and of Guru Nanak. I have never let my nation down.

I have bled a thousand deaths. My sons have died. I have the highest number of war widows among my 23 districts. After losing so much in 1947, I was split again in 1966 when Haryana was carved out. Chandigarh was made a joint capital and declared a union Territory, said to be temporary. Haryana has always maintained it will accept a new capital if Chandigarh returns to Punjab. My claim is simple: my capital was built on my villages; I have the first right.

Haryana is my limb. How can I hate my own limb? But my wounded status — geographical, economic, political and emotional — has never been considered by successive governments at the Centre.
My role has not been limited to defending borders. I made India food-sufficient. The Green Revolution is my labour. At its peak, I produced 50 per cent of the nation’s wheat and 40 per cent of its rice.

Pakistan waged a proxy war by nurturing the bogey of Khalistan. For nearly two decades I endured militancy, collateral losses and a crippling debt trap because the Centre refused to pay for forces deployed here. General Zia-up-Haq vowed to bleed us by “a thousand cuts”, yet Delhi failed to protect me. Indira Gandhi’s politics — first creating Bhindranwale, then being forced to act — only deepened my wounds. The police and bureaucracy changed forever; corruption became entrenched.
Yet my courage, work and contribution to this diverse nation are often overlooked. I am not seen. I am not understood. At times I feel defeated in my post-1947 life. What wrong did I do? You keep chipping at me. I am yours. I am Punjab. I am India.

Now, about this new bill expected to be introduced in Parliament in 2025 — I want to make an appeal. (However, the Ministry of Home Affairs has since clarified that it will not be bringing this Bill.)
My people are hardworking, courageous, emotional. Do not divide us. We ask for peace, not agitation; a safe tomorrow for our children, not fresh devastation.

I am Punjab. I have bled enough.
Give me justice I can trust.

(The writer is vice-president, Punjab BJP)