ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash EP-348 | Jinnah, Nehru & Indira, Rajiv, Sikh Diaspora, Modi & Punjab Politics | Tarlochan Singh
Sardar Tarlochan Singh is a former Rajya Sabha member and ex-Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities. He has spent his life fighting for Sikh causes, human rights, and keeping the Punjabi language alive, while promoting Sikhism around the world. At 92, Tarlochan Singh has seen it all, from India’s Partition to the rise of India as a major power in South Asia.
In Part 2 of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Tarlochan Singh talks about Rajiv Gandhi’s Cold War with President Giani Zail Singh and the Bofors scandal. He also shares how Operation Blue Star changed India, and speaks on Hindu-Sikh unity, the farmers’ protest, Punjab’s drug crisis, and the role of the Sikh diaspora in shaping politics today.
00:00 - Coming Up
01:55 - Introduction
03:13 - Bofors Scandal Stories
17:57 - Sikh Diaspora After Rajiv’s Assassination
19:14 - Sikh-Hindu Unity
19:56 - Attempts to Break Sikh-Hindu Unity
24:06 - BJP & Akali Alliance
27:24 - Farmers’ Protest
36:42 - Punjab Unemployment Fuels Drug Crisis
38:00 - How Vajpayee Valued Punjab & Sikhs
42:21 - Dr. Manmohan Singh Beyond Sikh Identity
49:01 - Parkash Singh Badal’s Political Legacy and Life
54:53 - Partap Singh Kairon and Indira Gandhi
59:00 - Role of Sikhs in Modern Delhi
1:04:06 - Khushwant Singh’s Contribution to Sikhs
1:29:10 - Message to Young Sikhs in India & Abroad