Ask India Why: How Khalistanis trying to use farmers' protest to incite secession

Pop Singer Rihanna and environment activist Greta Thunberg's tweets in support of farmers' protest in India have attracted global attention to the agitation which is ongoing for over the last two months at the borders of Delhi. But they have also invited close scrutiny, which reveals that the tweets were orchestrated by Khalistani elements. 

On Wednesday, Rihanna tweeted a newspaper article and asked, "Why are not we talking about this (the protest)?" Greta also expressed solidarity, tweeting a newspaper article and a toolkit designed to mobilise support. 

The Google docs toolkit named 'Global Farmers Strike - First Wave' tweeted by Greta, which now has been deleted, was prepared by campaign #AskIndiaWhy. 

The Google document contained strategies and ideas to mobilise support by creating tweetstorm, rallies, protests at Indian Embassies. The document also mentioned the January 26 rally held by farmers. 

We delved deep to unearth the sinister designs of Khalistani supporters to gain ground in India using the farmers' protest. 

Khalistanis penetrate the farmers' protest?

The website of #AskIndiaWhy campaign says it has been designed by Canada-based Poetic Justice Foundation, which describes itself as a challenger to "structures of oppression and discrimination through intersectional grassroots advocacy". 

 "We develop content, workshops and events to provoke, challenge and disrupt systemic inequities and biases," Foundation's website reads. 

The foundation declares that currently they are "most actively involved in the #FarmersProtest that has activated Indian diaspora worldwide as a rebuke to India's oppressive policies towards farmers".

The homepage of #AskIndiaWhy website mentions "Sikh sovereignty" and features several links that land on several pro-Khalistani pages. A link named "Who Speaks for Khalistan: Narrating Sikh Liberation and Jang Hind Punjab: From Dilli Chalo to Liberation" takes us to the publication page of Khalistan.org website. 

Foundation members openly support Khalistan

A document available on the Khalistani website clearly shows how Khalistanis are planning to use the farmers' protest to incite secession, unrest and chaos and retain the lost foothold in Punjab, the state largely impacted by the protests. 

It is worth noting that the foundation created its page on Facebook and Instagram in June 2020 and joined Twitter in February 2020.

In October last year, Poetic Justice Foundation organised a webinar on "Khalistan: A Conversation on Trauma, Racism and Sovereignty". Mo Dhaliwal, a participant of the webinar, openly declared on his Facebook page that he was a Khalistan supporter. 

"I am a Khalistani. You might not know this about me. Why? Because Khalistan is an idea. Khalistan is a living, breathing movement," the Vancouver resident wrote.

Petition to Change.Org justifies "self-determination"

Poetic Justice Foundation started a petition on Change.Org in September last year against Ottawa-based public think tank Macdonald Laurier Institute for publishing a report titled "Khalistan: A Project of Pakistan". Signed by over 3,000 people, the petition justified "Sikh struggle for self-determination in the 80's-90's", a reference to Khalistan movement. 

"The Sikh Canadian community has a long and traumatic history on the Indian subcontinent where they have been victims of state-sanctioned genocide," the petition on Change.org reads. 

PM cautions against vested interests

In his statements, Prime Minister Narendra Modi time and again has cautioned people against vested interests, adding that such elements can't be allowed to divide the nation. 

"India is developing at a rapid pace and things that were seen as impossible are becoming a reality due to which vested interests are trying to mislead the nation and cause unrest," PM Modi had said.