One of the most troubling pictures of the insurrection of the Republic Day was the lifting of the flag at the Red Fort. Although there seems to be an agreement that it was the Sikh Flag that was lifted, it was viewed by many as the flag of the Khalistan.
Now, according to some of the farmer’s chiefs, Deep Sidhu and his gang of supporters were responsible for lifting the flag at Red Fort.
Boota Singh Burjgill, President BKU (Dakaunda), told The Print,said: “Deep Sidhu and his group hoisted the flags at the Red Fort. They have been trying to create trouble in the movement from day one. We are following the parade route we had announced.”
Satnam Singh Pannu, Secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, said: “We were in favour of parading on the Ring Road while others unions were against it. We paraded on the ring road today & are now back at Singhu. We had no plan to go to the Red Fort nor did we join those who went.”
Deep Sidhu is a Khalistani supporter who has been active in the continuing demonstrations against the recently enacted farm legislation from the very beginning. He also became popular with the media for a bit, but he ruined his chances after giving an interview to Barkha Dutt, where he declined to condemn Khalistani terrorist Bhindranwale.
He was shot to media fame after a video had gone viral on social media where he was seen saying that the farmers’ protests would be a turning moment in the geopolitics not just of India, but also of the whole of South Asia.
Referring to OpIndia, Barkha Dutt confronted Sidhu with stories that reported that the actor was a Khalistan supporter. But she was disappointed when Sidhu, instead of criticizing Bhindranwale, praised him as a progressive who struggled for a solid federal system. Under the persistent insistence of Barkha Dutt, Deep Sidhu did not budge from his stance.
Some on social media, however, after the role of Deep Sidhu in today’s events became obvious, tried to falsely call him a ‘BJP supporter.’ In fact, during his interview with Barkha Dutt, Sidhu had explained that he had only campaigned for Sunny Deol because he shared a very good personal friendship with the actor and was not affiliated with any political party.
The Congress Party’s National Coordinator of Digital Communications and Social Media, Gaurav Pandhi, said that it was “BJP’s sinister plan” and that it was “BJP’s Deep Sidhu” who tried to keep the Red Fort in siege.
Others with an anti-BJP political viewpoint often wrongly say that Deep Sidhu is a member of the BJP.
Such attempts came after the Congress Party welcomed the unrest in the national capital on Republic Day and called it a display of the ‘Strength of the Republic.’ In the meantime, Rahul Gandhi has also sought to use the Republic Day uprising to advance his own political agenda and to call for the abolition of agricultural legislation.
In comparison, there is evidence to say that it was the Congress Party that helped to catapult Deep Sidhu as the ‘farmer leader.’
It is also very clear that an effort is being made to whitewash the role of farmer leaders in the recent violence that has exploded in the national capital. Farmer unions, too, seem to put all the blame on Deep Sidhu so that they can absolve themselves of their role in the abuse that has transpired.
