Where does the BJP go wrong in its ties with the Sikhs

In order to understand the political influence wielded by the Sikhs, let us first look at how the tiny but assertive minority votes globally. Sikhs not only command influence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party, but also shape the policy of the furthest to the left of Canada’s three major political groups, the New Democratic Party, which is headed by a Sikh himself. "The previous Congress government of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in office from 1984 until late 1989, categorically denied Amnesty International access to Punjab," wrote Amnesty. "Although Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh's National Front coalition government announced in July 1990 that Amnesty International representatives could come to India for private visits or to meet the government, no dates were set for such meetings, nor was Amnesty International granted permission to visit Punjab before the government fell in November 1990. Not from Punjab’s politically and socially dominant Jat Sikh bloc though, Dr Singh’s elevation did bring the Sikhs back to the Congress fold as they saw the party rebranding itself as more inclusive and different from its earlier ultra-majoritarian avatar under Nehru, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi.