If separatism is anathema for a majority of Sikhs in Punjab today, situation is very different in Canada, where politicians are caught in throes of resurgent movement for a separate Sikh state Sikh politics has always revolved around identity issues, and political parties have worked on these issues in different ways, often with success and sometimes not. The movement for a separate Sikh state – Khalistan – was one such expression, but the decade-long violent phase of terrorism which resulted in pain, loss and suffering has caused the average Sikh in Punjab to turn her back on it. This is not to say that the ideology has been vanquished along with the terrorists. On the contrary, remnants of it are very much alive in present-day Punjab, but receive little traction from the public whenever people attempt to exploit it politically. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), misguided by a clutch of closet hardliners in its ranks, realised the peril of hobnobbing with perceived Khalista...