New Delhi: Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas of India, said Punjab has “suffered a governance deficit” and is at risk of being “left behind” in the national development story.
In an exclusive interview with Executive Editor of The New Indian, Rohan Dua, Hardeep Puri — a former diplomat and one of the senior most Sikh leaders in the Modi cabinet — strongly rebutted any notions of alienation among Sikhs, instead emphasizing how Prime Minister Narendra Modi has actively worked to restore pride and dignity to the Sikh identity.
“I was in Punjab yesterday. I must say I got this uneasy feeling. I travel around the country. This is a state which seems to have been left behind,” Puri said candidly, referring to a perceived lag in infrastructure and administrative progress in Punjab.
“We Are a Proud Minority”
Touching upon separatist sentiments that occasionally surface in diaspora communities, Puri said such ideas are often “fueled from elsewhere,” and do not represent the mainstream Sikh ethos.
“If you ask any Sikh, I mean, we are a very proud minority,” he said. “If you look at our size as a percentage of the overall population, it is less than 2%, but we’ve contributed immensely to the nation.”
Puri asserted that Sikh identity is not merely cultural or religious, but deeply intertwined with the nation’s history, especially in defending civilisational values.
“Khalsa Was Born to Protect Hindu Dharma”
Delving into history, Puri traced Sikh identity back to its foundational purpose.
“When you talk about the Sikh identity, I think in a sense you are referring to the establishment of the Khalsa… Why was Sikhism given that identity? It was more in the context of preservation and protection of the Hindu religion,” Puri remarked, referencing the spiritual and martial legacy of Guru Gobind Singh ji and the significance of the ‘Five Ks’.
He added: “Guru Gobind Singh ji was not just a Sikh Guru. He was a national figure. That’s why he is held in such reverence today.”
Kartarpur Corridor: Modi’s Commitment to Sikh Sentiment
Highlighting the Modi government’s efforts to strengthen cultural and religious links for Sikhs, Puri pointed to the successful opening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.
“Two countries, Pakistan and India, were born from the womb of the same mother in 1947. So some of the areas of Sikh pilgrimage are on that side, some on this side. Dera Baba Nanak is on one side, and Kartarpur Sahib is on the other,” he explained.
“Earlier, devotees would pay obeisance to Gurdwara Sahib through a telescope. Along came Mr. Modi, and we opened a corridor. Today, people go across and offer prayers. The Prime Minister has genuinely tried to reach out to the Sikh community.”
Modi and the Sikh Cause
Puri emphasized that PM Modi’s outreach has gone beyond symbolism.
“A lot of people have talked about Sikh issues, but the Prime Minister has single-handedly looked at each of the issues affecting Sikh identity,” he said, suggesting that this engagement has been deep, strategic, and long overdue.
Sharp Words for Pro-Khalistani Protestors
Addressing the recent demonstrations by pro-Khalistani protestors in Canada ahead of the G7 Summit, Puri dismissed their actions, saying, “Yeh jo kiraye ke tatto hain, don’t take them seriously.” He called them hired elements who do not reflect the sentiments of the wider Sikh community.
A Call for Better Governance in Punjab
Even as he lauded central initiatives, Puri was unsparing in his criticism of state leadership.
“Part of the problem is that Punjab as a state has suffered a governance deficit,” he said. Without naming names, the remark appeared to be a veiled swipe at the current AAP government in Punjab.
As one of the most prominent Sikh voices in the Modi government, Puri’s comments reflect a broader political narrative: while the Centre is trying to reclaim Sikh heritage and pride through cultural diplomacy and infrastructure, state-level stagnation threatens to derail Punjab’s full potential.
