Chandigarh: Sikh radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who is lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh prison under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) since April last year is back in the spotlight as he has decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab as an independent candidate.
Amritpal’s mother Balwinder Kaur confirmed it on Friday days after his lawyer set in motion talks of his formal plunge in politics. She said her son was earlier hesitant to join politics but has agreed to contest election on the demand of his followers.
Kaur said the decision to contest elections has been taken on the demand of sangat and panchayats of the constituency. She added that “the government hasn’t stopped from committing atrocities against the Sikhs and the aim of contesting the polls is to take the issues of the Sikhs to a bigger platform.”
Detailing the agenda of his election, Kaur said his focus will be to get the Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) released from the jails, counter the drug menace consuming Punjab’s youth and intensify his drive of dharam prachar (religious propagation).
Amritpal, who heads an organisation, Waris Punjab De, began as a Sikh preacher before launching high-voltage propagation for separate Sikh land (Khalistan), citing that Sikhs were forcefully taken into free India by the British.
His growing activities made Punjab nervous, reminding people of the state’s violent separatist movement in the 80s. This drove the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab to launch a crackdown against him and his supporters.
He was finally arrested after a month-long chase and sent to an Assam jail along with his close aides after invoking NSA, which allowed security agencies in Punjab to detain him for a longer time without trial.
He was out of public glare ever since his arrest before his decision to fight election has again put him back in reckoning. Since he is in jail, his supporters will run the campaign on the ground.
What explains his plunge in politics?
Political analyst Harjeshwar Singh told The Wire that Amritpal’s entry into politics is inconsequential for Punjab as the state in the past had seen radicals winning elections and they had limited appeal. But there are others who believe that the move may be an attempt to polarise Sikh voters ahead of elections.
For instance, commenting on the development, former diplomat K.C. Singh mentioned in a post on X, “What does it imply: 1. Attempt to polarise Punjab communally. 2. If he wins Punjab is back in 1984 3. If he loses it debunks “Sikhs for Khalistan” propaganda. Either way it helps one party, which is struggling in Punjab going alone.”
The profile of the constituency also suits Amritpal’s persona. Not because he is the resident of the constituency, the influence of Sikh religious panthic politics is strongest here compared to all other seats in Punjab due to its demography as well as rural nature of the constituency. A large part of the area in the constituency comprises border areas which remained the hot bed during militancy, which has been the fodder for Sikh religious politics for long.
Most of the Khadoor Sahib seats were earlier part of Taran Taran Lok Sabha constituency and from here another Sikh radical leader – Simranjit Singh Mann – had won the 1989 general elections, while he was still in jail.
During Friday’s press conference, Kaur has asked constituency voters to support and help Amritpal and his aides to get released from jail.
Interestingly, his entry may force mainstream parties to change their strategy. AAP, which won seven of the nine assembly segments in this parliamentary seat during 2022 assembly elections, had nominated — Laljit Singh Bhullar — sitting MLA from Patti, one of the constituencies in Khadoor Sahib seat. But there are rumours that the party may change its candidature, as indicated by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia in a post on X last Thursday.
As per my information, former ADGP Law and Order S. Gurinder Singh Dhillon, who took voluntary retirement (VRS), will be AAP’s candidate from the Sri Khadoor Sahib Constituency. Earlier, AAP announced Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar as the candidate, but they have now…
Advertisement— Bikram Singh Majithia (@bsmajithia) April 25, 2024
The Akali Dal is in a dilemma due to Amritpal’s candidature. Given that the party is at its lowest political phase since inception, sources said it was being forced to support Amritpal’s candidature in order to unite Sikh panthic votes. However, the Akali Dal chose to field its own candidate. As per SAD’s statement on Sunday, the party’s core committee member and former chief parliamentary secretary Virsa Singh Valtoha has been given the ticket to contest from Khadoor Sahib constituency. This seat has been Akali Dal’s bastion for long. But it was defeated in the last general election by the Congress party, first such instance since 1992. With Valtoha as a candidate, it will make all attempts to win it back.
Like Akali Dal, Simranjit Mann’s party, who has fielded its candidate here, may also extend support to Amritpal Singh’s candidature.
As far as the Congress party is concerned, it is looking for a fresh face after incumbent MP Jasbir Singh Gill (Dimpa) declined to contest.
As far as the BJP is concerned, it may use Amritpal’s candidature to consolidate Hindu voters as well as moderate Sikh voters. The party has already fielded former Akali Dal leader and two-time MLA from Khadoor Sahib Manjeet Singh Mianwind, who had joined the BJP in 2022.
