Even as the ‘farmer’ protests continue along the Punjab-Haryana border, controversial journalist and YouTuber Barkha Dutt provided her platform to a known Khalistan sympathiser, actor Deep Sidhu, an allegedly aggrieved farmer who was seen in a viral video threatening the authorities that the ‘farmers’ protests will be the defining moment of the geopolitics of not just India but also entire South Asia.
In the interview broadcasted on Barkha Dutt’s YouTube channel ‘Mojo Story’, Sidhu made startling responses that left the host red-faced. From admitting to campaigning for BJP’s Sunny Deol to hailing Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a fighter who fought for a strong federal structure, Sidhu made a series of preposterous claims that effectively undermined the legitimacy of the farmers’ protest and the propaganda floated by the left-liberal media about the ongoing demonstrations.
Deep Sidhu lies about farmer protests, says no violence occurred till date
At the start of the interview, Sidhu outrageously proclaimed that there was not a single incident of violence since the inception of the ‘farmers’ protests in September 2020.
However, this assertion was anything but truth. There have been several instances when the protests have turned violent and the law enforcement officials tasked with maintaining law and order were forced to use marginal force to prevent the violence from going out of control.
Further more into the interview, when Barkha asked about what Sidhu meant by claiming that farmers protest would redefine the geopolitics of the country, the Punjabi actor absurdly conflated the protests with the alleged rising majoritarianism in the country.
“Today, if the government is only going to serve the majority and make the minorities residing in the country feel threatened and insecure, it is going to have geopolitical repercussions,” Sidhu glibly responded while shoddily attempting to feign profundity.
Sidhu denies being affiliated to any political party but admits campaigning for BJP’s Sunny Deol
On being asked if he was affiliated with any political party, Sidhu initially denied claiming that he has no links with any political party but then instantly he back-pedalled, admitting to his associated with BJP’s Sunny Deol.
“I am not at all affiliated with any political party,” said Sidhu, adding, “The only thing I was involved in was the political campaigning of BJP’s Mr Deol (Sunny Deol) from Gurdaspur constituency because I share a very close relationship with him and I was a part of the BJP campaign,” Sidhu said.
Government is guilty of indulging in state terrorism: Deep Sidhu
In a sensational allegation against the government, Sidhu alleged that they had been indulging in “state terrorism” by deploying law enforcement officials to prevent the demonstrators from marching to New Delhi. The actor also insinuated that the security officials had vandalised the public property.
“Who is being violent? Who is using force to atop the peaceful demonstrators? Who is destroying the public property? It is the state government which is using force against the farmers,” Sidhu said.
Deep Sidhu refuses to denounce Bhindranwale as a terrorist despite repeated insistence from Barkha
Referring to OpIndia, Barkha Dutt then confronted Sidhu on reports that claimed that the actor was a Khalistan supporter. However, the controversial journalist was disappointed when Sidhu offered a circuitous response instead of plainly denying it. Instead, the Punjabi actor ludicrously held forth on the evils of privatisation.
Subsequently, Sidhu hailed Khalistani journalist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a revolutionary who was fighting for a strong federal structure and who was wrongly painted by the state as a terrorist.
“Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was a fighter. He was fighting for a strong federal structure,” Sidhu said.
Barkha interjected Sidhu, reminding him that Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was a terrorist. But Sidhu continued defending Bhindranwale, stating that he was a victim of state narrative.
“You need to understand. You gotta read books. Back in the 1970s, the state wielded enormous power of shaping narrative. Bhindranwale was wrongly projected as a terrorist and a whole narrative was created against him by the state machinery,” Sidhu said.
However, this justification by Sidhu profoundly perturbed Ms Dutt, who stated that she had expected the actor to provide an unequivocal condemnation of Bhindranwale. Dutt claimed that Sidhu’s rationalisation and justification of his Bhindranwale’s action has only served to delegitimise the cause of the farmers that he has stood for.
A deeply disappointed Barkha lamented, “I came here to interview thinking you are speaking from your passion and your heart. I wanted to give you a fair chance since I did not want to believe unverified sources. I expected you to distance yourself from the reports that claimed you are a Khalistani supporter. But here you are defending Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, affirming that he was not a terrorist.”
Despite strong protest from Barkha, Sidhu did not budge from his stand, reiterating that a narrative was weaved by the state government to portray Bhindranwale as a terrorist.
In her bid to get Sidhu to denounce Bhindranwale as a terrorist, Barkha reminded him of the terrorists that had occupied the Golden Temple in Amritsar. But Sidhu remained committed to his stand, rejecting Barkha’s assertion that terrorists occupied the Golden Temple.
In an attempt to lend legitimacy to his stance, Sidhu made a ridiculous declaration that even to this day 80-90 per cent of those living in Punjab do not consider Bhindranwale and those who occupied the Golden Temple as terrorists.
Upset by Deep’s obduracy for not condemning Bhindranwale as a terrorist, a visibly offended Barkha said, “I thought you would spend 30 seconds just saying this is not true. I condemn Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. He is a terrorist. He took the holy place of the worship.”
“I can’t believe, we are spending 2 minutes discussing whether Bhindranwale was a terrorist or not,” Barkha distressingly said. However, despite Barkha’s palpable irritation with Sidhu’s persistence denial to call Bhindranwale a terrorist, the Punjabi actor did not cede his ground and patronisingly told Barkha that she is unaware of the culture in Punjab and has formed her opinion from a studio in Delhi.
Deep Sidhu a known Khalistan-terrorists sympathiser
Shockingly, Deep Sidhu, who is now portraying himself to be an aggrieved farmer in the video, is a known Khalistan sympathiser. Sidhu has time-and-again defended the terrorist activities of pro-Khalistan groups.
Just a few weeks back, Deep Sidhu had expelled a lawyer known Hakam Singh for ruthlessly objecting to the raising of the pro-Khalistan slogan by another pro-Khalistani sympathiser and for handing him over to the police.
The lawyer had reacted to the slogan in a harsh manner after a Punjabi youth had raised pro-Khalistani slogans at a morcha. The lawyer had immediately taken him to the police personnel deployed nearby and asked them to arrest him by registering FIR against him. Losing temper over it, he offered to become a complainant against him.
Reacting to the incident, Sidhu had released a video defending the sacking of lawyer from his morcha for acting against pro-Khalistan sympathisers. In the video, Sidhu had openly opposed the action of Hakam Singh while announcing his expulsion.