Punjab: A committee to draft the organizational structure of their Punjab-based party is to be announced by supporters of pro-Khalistan separatist leader and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, along with Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, MP of Faridkot and the son of one of Indira Gandhi’s killers, months after they announced plans to form a new political party.
At a gathering on January 14 during the Maghi Mela celebration at Sri Muktsar Sahib, an official declaration is anticipated. One of Punjab’s most important religious gatherings, the Maghi Mela honors Sikhs who lost their lives in the Battle of Muktsar against the Mughals in the Malwa region in 1705. It is also renowned for its political significance.
Amritpal’s father, Tarsem Singh, along with Khalsa and other supporters, will be organizing the “Panth Bachao, Punjab Bachao (Save the Panth, Save Punjab)” rally on January 14 while Amritpal himself is being held under the National Security Act in the Dibrugarh jail in Assam, where he ran for and won the Lok Sabha elections as an Independent.
In Frame: Amritpal Singh
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.
Both Amritpal and Khalsa, who ran as Independents in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, had unexpected wins. Khalsa defeated the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate in Faridkot by 70,000 votes, while Amritpal crushed his nearest Congress opponent in Khadoor Sahib by 1.97 lakh votes.
Political void among Sikhs in Punjab
Amritpal and Khalsa’s declaration occurs amid a political void in the state, especially among Sikhs, caused by the declining fortunes of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is led by Sukhbir Badal.
Since the 2015 sacrilege case, the Akali Dal has been unable to mend its damaged reputation among Sikhs. Badal was recently penalized by the Akal Takht, one of the five Sikh seats of power, for “violating the Sikh code” while serving as the deputy chief minister from 2007 to 2017. He was also compelled to step down as party chairman and the party leadership was reorganized.
Amritpal and Khalsa’s victory in the Lok Sabha demonstrated their ability to garner support from the Sikh vote bank of the Akali Dal. As a new party, they will probably have more difficulties persuading the people that they are a good substitute for the Akali Dal now that Amritpal is imprisoned. 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”.
