The TLDR: Tens of thousands of farmers have parked themselves on the Delhi-Haryana border—having rejected an offer for “conditional talks” from the government. But even as the two sides were negotiating, BJP leaders and supporters were busy framing the farmers as (what else!) ‘anti-nationals’—or to be specific, Khalistani sympathisers. We trace this pivot to communalisation, along with an update on the state of play. PS: If you don't know what these protests are about, check out our Friday explainer.

Who is calling them Khalistani?

The narrative shifted over the weekend due to two key events. 

One: While the hashtag #Khalistani has been trending for a while, the first person to fire a direct shot was Haryana CM ML Khattar, who told reporters: “The state has inputs of some unwanted elements raising pro-Khalistan slogans in the ongoing farmers' protests in and around the national capital." He didn’t offer any concrete evidence, but referenced a single clip of a farmer—who appears to take a threatening tone while referencing Khalistani terrorists. The clip was then shared widely by other BJP leaders, and played over and again on Hindi TV channels (see below).

Two: The Khalistan angle found amplification from an unexpected source: former NDTV anchor Barkha Dutt. It started with a clip of one of the protesters explaining their cause in English—which was first used to attack his credibility as a ‘farmer’. The person in the clip turned out to be Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu—who seems to have discovered politics during the lockdown. 

Barkha Dutt decided to interview Sidhu for unknown reasons—as he is neither a leader of a farmer union nor a key organiser of the protests. She asked him if he was a Khalistani sympathiser—and over the course of his long, garbled answer, Sidhu insisted Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was “not a terrorist.” (watch that bit here)

The damage was done and Dutt’s clip quickly went viral. As journalist Rohini Singh notes:

“His words have hurt the farmer’s cause because he is an actor and speaks in English and that’s why his video went viral which is why many anchors including you chose to interview him? Who made him the face of the protest? Did he organise it? Is he the brain behind it?”

Related mislabeling: Other than Khalistan, the most strident BJP supporters used other forms of misinformation to discredit the farmers. For example: Kangana Ranaut shared and deleted a fake image that claimed Shaheen Bagh’s Bilkis Dadi was part of the protest. Another viral photo claimed to show the sister-in-law of the Hathras rape victim.

Point to note: Home Minister Amit Shah made it clear that he is not making any such allegation: “I never called the farmers’ protest politically motivated, neither am I calling it now.”

But are they sympathetic to Khalistan?

No, there is no evidence that Khalistani or other groups are involved in the protests. And for the BJP to make such allegations is entirely absurd. And here’s why.

One: Yes, there have been some instances of some protesters raising Khalistan slogans. For example: during an angry confrontation in Ambala back in September. But a few anecdotes, clips or individuals have been used to make tall claims. Example: this DNA investigation that claims to show the protests have been “hijacked” by Khalistanis. This is the equivalent of claiming that if a handful of Haryana farmers wave saffron flags, the entire movement is ‘sanghi’. 

Also watch: This clip of the protest leaders laying out a carefully calibrated protest strategy—which includes zero mention of Bhindranwale:

Two: Part of the Khalistan narrative requires framing the protest as a ‘Punjab-only’ problem. Khattar for example, insisted that there were no Haryana farmers involved—which was immediately refuted by them. And TV visuals clearly show convoys headed for Delhi from three states: Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. 

For their part, the organisers have pushed back. The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee—which represents 400 organisations across the country—has now called on all farmers to proceed towards Delhi. And the Punjab-based unions have made it clear they want the government to hold talks not just with them but with the national collective of farmers.

Three: The big picture view also doesn’t help the BJP cause. So-called Khalistan sympathisers are to be found on all sides of the political aisle. Some quick examples:

• Deep Sidhu is actually close to BJP MP Sunny Deol, and was key in organising his election campaign. He can be seen here in a photo-op with PM Modi during that campaign.
• The BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal party were very close allies until September—when they parted ways over the new farm laws. And Akali Dal leaders have been vocal in their support for Bhidranwale.
• Example #1: Delhi MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa—who won his seat on a BJP ticket—has said: “As far as I know, there is nothing against Bhindranwale except allegations. He and his followers were fighting against the attack on the Gurdwara.”
• Example #2: Harsimrat Kaur Badal—who was a cabinet minister, no less— happily attended events where Bhindranwale and his men were openly praised as “Sikh warriors” who had fought against the “tyranny of the state.”
• Thanks to their cosy alliance with Akali Dal, BJP leaders too have long been evasive on the issue of Bhindranwale's terrorist status. See this astonishing performance by Nirmala Sitharaman on Arnab Goswami’s show in 2014 (jump ahead to the 36.30-mark which offers context to what follows).

Point to note: It’s also a bit absurd to accuse the Congress of cosying up with the Khalistanis—who hate the Gandhi family with far greater fervor than any BJP troll can summon. See: Operation Bluestar, 1984 genocide.

So what’s next?

Home Minister Amit Shah offered to fast-track negotiations with the farmers—if they agreed to stage their protest in a designated field in Burari. The farmers have rejected the offer, and say they are willing to stay at the border for days, even months if needed. The reason: Their leaders claim that farmers from Uttarakhand were taken to Burari and are now trapped there: “It is as though they are trying to create a Jallianwala Bagh-like situation… We will never go to Burari. It is not a park but an open jail.”

Surprising points to note: Punjab CM and Congress leader Amarinder Singh supports Shah’s offer to negotiate and has offered to mediate. The RSS has thrown its weight behind the farmers’ demand for a universal minimum support price—and criticised the government for using force to block the march.

Reading List

• For the best context to these protests, read our Friday explainer—which includes a reading list. 
• The Telegraph has the best overview of the latest developments. 
• Indian Express has an interesting piece on two Lok Sabha bills which best sum up what the farmers want. 
• Two must-watch clips of the protest leaders: This one lays out their view of the farm laws. Here they explain their protest strategy.
• Two thought-provoking bits of political analysis: Shekhar Gupta in The Print on how the BJP destroyed its alliance with the Akali Dal; IP Singh in Times of India offers a history lesson to Khattar on the perils of toeing the Union government’s line.
• The Caravan reminds us that Bhindranwale was originally a Congress creation.