Months after announcing plans to launch a new political party, supporters of pro-Khalistan separatist leader and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, along with the son of one of Indira Gandhi’s assassins and Faridkot MP Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, are set to announce a committee to draw up the organisational structure of their Punjab-based outfit.
An official announcement is expected at a rally on January 14 during the Maghi Mela festival at Sri Muktsar Sahib. The Maghi Mela, which is held to honour Sikhs killed in the 1705 Battle of Muktsar against the Mughals, in the Malwa region, is known for its political significance and as one of Punjab’s biggest religious events.
With Amritpal in detention under the National Security Act in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail, from where he contested and won the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent, his father Tarsem Singh along with Khalsa and other supporters will be organising the “Panth Bachao, Punjab Bachao (Save the Panth, Save Punjab)” rally on January 14.
In a statement, Khalsa said, “Initially, we will form a five- or 11-member committee to connect with people across the state. Later, leaders will be appointed at the district level. Once the groundwork is complete, the new party will start functioning.” He added that the party will also contest in the elections for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex gurdwara management body in Punjab. Notably, the SGPC’s 190-member House has not held elections since 2011.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, both Amritpal and Khalsa, contesting as Independents, had recorded shock victories. While Amritpal defeated his closest Congress rival in Khadoor Sahib by 1.97 lakh votes, Khalsa won Faridkot by 70,000 votes over the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate.
Punjab’s political vacuum
The announcement from Amritpal and Khalsa comes at a time when the waning fortunes of the Sukhbir Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have created a political vacuum in the state, particularly among Sikhs.
The Akali Dal has been unable to recover from its dented image among the Sikhs since the 2015 sacrilege case. Recently, the Akal Takht – one of the five Sikh seats of power – punished Badal for “violation of the Sikh code” during his stint as the deputy chief minister from 2007 to 2017, forced him to resign as party chief and ordered a reorganisation of the party leadership.
In recent weeks, the Akali Dal has been caught in further controversies, including allegations of “influencing” the Akal Takht to avoid following through on its directives. One such allegation was made by Giani Harpreet Singh, the jathedar of the Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, who has since been suspended from his post by the SGPC.
The Lok Sabha victories of Amritpal and Khalsa showed that they were able to draw support from the Akali Dal’s Sikh vote bank. However, with Amritpal in jail, they will likely face additional challenges as a new party to convince the public they are a viable alternative to the Akali Dal. Amritpal has now been in jail since March 2023, with his custody extended for another year in June 2024.
“Punjab’s regional parties have historically chosen to appease the Central government for personal gains, enriching themselves at the expense of the state’s rights. Today, shopkeepers and businessmen are frustrated with extortion and ransom rackets, farmers are protesting, youth are caught in drugs, and suicide and migration are at an all-time high. At this critical time, Punjab urgently needs leaders like Amritpal Singh,” said Tarsem Singh.
While urging the sangat (Sikh community) to attend the January 14 rally and back the new outfit, Tarsem Singh said, “Within Panthic ranks, internal divisions and mistrust grow daily, while external threats to Punjab go unchecked. External forces, with no connection to Punjab’s soil or culture, are luring Punjabis with superstitions and greed, leading them to religious conversion and alienation from Punjab’s traditions”.
Tarsem Singh said the outfit would be open to alliance with “like-minded parties”. Former Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann, who heads the SAD (Amritsar) offshoot of the Akali Dal, had been the first party to extend support to Amritpal when he returned to India in September 2022 and controversially took charge of Waris Punjab De, an outfit formed by late actor Deep Sidhu during the 2020-21 farmers’ movement. Mann’s party had even offered Amritpal a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls, though he preferred to contest as an Independent.
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