Chandigarh: On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh declared the Muslim-majority Malerkotla as the 23rd district of the state, while announcing a slew of projects for the development of the historic city.
The move fulfils an at least decade-old demand in Malerkotla and a promise that the ruling Congress had made in its manifesto ahead of the 2017 assembly elections.
Punjab’s decision, however, hasn’t gone down well with the BJP, particularly Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Adityanath tweeted Saturday that the move was “proof of the Congress’ divisive politics”.
“Any distinction on the basis of religion and religion is contrary to the basic spirit of the Constitution of India,” the Uttar Pradesh CM said. “Presently, the formation of Malerkotla (Punjab) is a reflection of the divisive policy of the Congress.”
मत और मजहब के आधार पर किसी प्रकार का विभेद भारत के संविधान की मूल भावना के विपरीत है।
इस समय, मलेरकोटला (पंजाब) का गठन किया जाना कांग्रेस की विभाजनकारी नीति का परिचायक है।
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) May 15, 2021
Tarun Chugh, the BJP’s national secretary from Punjab, weighed in, saying the decision was clearly “communal” and that it was for the first time in the history of Punjab that an administrative decision was taken to further communal interests.
None of these charges, however, will find any resonance in Punjab, where Sikhs and Malerkotla’s Muslims share historically harmonious ties. So entrenched is this solidarity, that the Muslim-majority region saw no violence even as the rest of Punjab went up in flames during Partition in 1947.
The Punjab chief minister even alluded to this while responding to his UP counterpart.
“What does he (Yogi Adityanath) know of Punjab’s ethos or the history of Malerkotla, whose relationship with Sikhism and its Gurus is known to every Punjabi? And what does he understand of the Indian Constitution, which is being brazenly trampled every day by his own government in UP?” Amarinder asked in a statement issued Saturday evening.
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A 300-year-old legacy
Punjab Sikhs’ reverence for the Muslims of Malerkotla dates back chiefly to one singular event in history.
According to Anna Bigelow, associate professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Stanford University, the Nawab of Malerkotla, Sher Muhammad Khan, had in 1705 opposed the death penalty handed out to nine-year-old Baba Zorawar Singh and seven-year-old Baba Fateh Singh — the sons of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru.
Bigelow, who has researched Malerkotla’s history, writes that despite Khan’s protests, the then Mughal governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan, bricked alive the two children.
The Malerkotla nawab’s defiance, referred to as “ha da naara (cry for justice), however, earned him the respect and adoration of Sikhs.
“Guru Gobind Singhji blessed Sher Muhammad Khan and ever since Malerkotla has become an icon of Sikh-Muslim brotherhood,” said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) general secretary Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema. “Even during Partition, this town remained completely peaceful.”
The new district will also have a government medical college in the name of Nawab Sher Muhammad Khan.
The Opposition SAD has backed Chief Minister Amarinder, with Cheema issuing a statement that Adityanath’s tweet was in bad taste and symbolic of his complete lack of historical knowledge about Malerkotla town and its significance for Sikhs.
“Malerkotla town is a unique example of Sikh-Muslim communal harmony that has lasted for over 300 years,” Cheema said.
A Muslim-majority region
Malerkotla was part of a jagir of several villages that the then Delhi Sultan Behlol Lodhi granted as dowry to the Afghani Sufi Saint Sheikh Sadruddin-i-Jahan (also called Haider Sheikh) in 1454.
According to Bigelow, the original settlement was called “Maler” and it remains the name of the neighbourhood surrounding the Sheikh’s tomb.
Following the advent of Mughal rule in India, the descendants of the Sheikh became the nawabs of Malerkotla.
Bigelow writes that Kotla came to be in 1657 when Mughal emperor Aurangzeb granted permission to Bayazid Khan, the first ruler of Malerkotla, to build a fortified city.
Bigelow also states that during British rule, Malerkotla was as turbulent as the other smaller principalities of the time, marked by infighting and ever-changing loyalties. The last ruler of Malerkotla was Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan.
During Partition in 1947, Malerkotla remained absolutely peaceful and when the princely state merged with India, Iftikhar Ali Khan was its first chief minister.
Malerkotla was later merged with other princely states of the region to form the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU). During the reorganisation of states in 1956, Malerkotla became a part of Punjab.
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Modern-day Malerkotla
With almost 70 per cent of its population comprising Muslims, the Malerkotla assembly constituency has always been represented by a Muslim.
Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan served as MLA twice while his second wife Begum Yusuf Zamani and fourth wife Begum Sajida were legislators as well. All of them were part of the Congress party.
The Malerkotla seat has, in the last few decades, been alternating between the Congress and the Akali Dal.
Razia Sultana, the current Congress MLA from Malerkotla, is representing the constituency for the third time (2002, 2007 and 2017). She is the wife of former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa. In 2012, however, Farsana Alam, the wife of another IPS officer, Izhar Alam, was elected as the Akali MLA from here.
The constituency’s politics has not been without its intrigue. In 1981, the last nawab divorced Sajida Begum. She then went on to marry Anwar Ahmed Khan of the Shiromani Akali Dal, against whom she had fought multiple elections.
The nawab died in 1982 and Sajida Begum in 2006. The legacy of the last nawab continues as an ugly family litigation for property and palaces.
On Friday, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, himself the scion of the Patiala royal family, recalled his ties to the last nawab of Malerkotla, whom he fondly called Chachaji (Uncle) and who he said lovingly addressed him Bhateej (nephew).
Amarinder also said he had written to the Aga Khan Foundation to undertake conservation and restoration of Mubarak Manzil Palace, occupied by Begum Sahiba Munawwar ul-Nisa, the wife of the last nawab.
The Punjab government, the chief minister said, has acquired the Mubarak Manzil Palace, adding that “its restoration and upkeep would be a fitting tribute to the nawabs of Malerkotla”.
A decade-long demand
The demand for district-hood is not new.
Malerkotla falls on the Ludhiana-Sangrur road and is part of Sangrur district. It’s almost equidistant from the district headquarters of Ludhiana and Sangrur and for every administrative work residents had to go to Sangrur, which is over 40 km away.
The town is full of small steel units and is specially known for manufacturing badges and uniforms.
The Congress’ manifesto had also promised district status for Malerkotla.
According to the government’s order Friday, the subdivisions of Malerkotla and Ahmedgarh, as well as the sub-tehsil of Amargarh, would be included in the newly-created district. The process of bringing villages under the jurisdiction of Malerkotla district would begin later, after the conclusion of the census operations, the order said.
The chief minister has also directed the Sangrur deputy commissioner to find a suitable building to immediately start the functioning of the district administration office. The deputy commissioner for the newly-carved district would be appointed soon.
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
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