Chandigarh: Jailed Lok Sabha MP Amritpal Singh on Tuesday announced a regional political party named Akali Dal Waris Punjab De.
Amritpal, who won last year’s Lok Sabha election from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib constituency, will serve as the party’s president, his father Tarsem Singh said.
Faridkot MP Sarabjit Singh Khalsa and others announced the formation of the party on the occasion of Maghi Mela in Muktsar, one of Punjab’s biggest religious events.
“This party was established to address the pressing need for a new regional political force in Punjab, a necessity that has been strongly felt,” said a declaration read out at a rally organised on the Bathinda-Muktsar road in connection with the launch of the party.
Both Amritpal and Khalsa won the polls, contesting as Independent candidates. Amritpal’s win was even more sensational, as he was and still is lodged in Dibrugarh central jail under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
Amritpal’s father Tarsem attended the rally along with Khalsa, the elder son of Beant Singh — one of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassins.
Pro-Khalistan separatist Amritpal, wanted for attempted murder, obstruction of law enforcement agencies and creating disharmony in society, was arrested in April 2023 after being on the run for over a month.
Amritpal, who revived calls for an independent Sikh homeland in Punjab, has been in jail for 21 months. He was allowed to travel to Delhi to take oath as an MP last year.
His new party will extend assistance to families of martyrs, farmers, labourers and working-class individuals. Sikhs and others across the globe have also been promised support.
“We are launching the membership form today. Anyone who loves Punjab can join us by filling out the form and becoming a member. Let us come together to save Punjab and protect the Panth,” said Amritpal’s father Tarsem Singh.
