Almost five years after the widespread usage of the word ‘intolerance’, India’s infamous ‘Award-Waapsi gang’ is back, this time pretending to come to the rescue of Punjab’s farmers who have reached Delhi and are also surrounding it in vociferously misinformed protests surrounding the three revolutionary farm and agricultural bills passed by the country’s parliament in September this year. While the first emergence of the said gang was years ago, when a new Modi government in Delhi was supposedly giving rise to a wave of ‘intolerance’ in India, now, the same gang has once again resurfaced to stamp authority over the fallacious and misinformed farmer protests.
According to the Indian Express, former Olympic hockey player and Arjuna awardee Sajjan Singh Cheema is leading the charge in rallying support of various award-winning sportspersons for them to collectively return their honours to the President of India. “We are the children of farmers and they have been holding peaceful agitation for the past several months. Not even a single incident of violence took place. But water cannons and teargas shells were used against them when they were going to Delhi,” Cheema said at the Jalandhar Press Club.
Cheema was accompanied by wrestler and Padma Shri awardee Kartar Singh, Olympic gold medallist hockey player Gurmail Singh, who is also an Arjuna awardee, and former Indian hockey captain Rajbir Kaur. So far, the former hockey player is said to have managed to garner the support of at least 30 former Olympic and Continental medal winners. The delegation is planning to seek an appointment with President Ram Nath Kovind on December 5 to hand over their awards.
1980 Moscow gold-medal winning hockey team member Surinder Singh Sodhi, 1982 Asian games bronze medallist Balwinder Singh, 1975 Hockey World Cup winning team member Harcharan Singh Boparai, among others have also decided to return their Arjuna awards. “All the Padma and Arjuna awards, all medal will be returned by Punjab’s sportspersons…there will be around 150 of them,” said another of the speakers at the press conference in Jalandhar.
Read more: Are only the famers of Punjab unhappy? The truth behind the manufactured malice in farmers’ protests
The opposition, in cahoots with certain vested interest groups has made it a mission to spread misinformation regarding the three farm laws in Punjab like wildfire. The attempted resuscitation of the Award Waapsi Gang is an old trick being used to strongarm the government. The same will have absolutely no difference on the Modi government, as the Prime Minister himself takes todirect the BJP machinery and leadership to brave the storm.