New Delhi: Amritpal Singh, the Member of Parliament from Khadoor Sahib, currently jailed in Dibrugarh jail, Assam, under the National Security Act (NSA), is set to launch a new regional political party on January 14. The announcement will coincide with a rally, titled ‘Panth Bachao, Punjab Bachao,’ which will take place during the ‘Maghi Da Mela’ in Punjab’s Sri Muktsar Sahib.
Amritpal Singh is a controversial Sikh leader and he was last airlifted from Dibrugarh to Delhi on July 5, 2024 to take his oath as a Lok Sabha MP. His arrest was under the NSA and it occurred on April 23, 2023, after a 36-day manhunt by Punjab police. The NSA allows for the detention of peopke considered a national security threat without charges for up to a year.
Amritpal’s leadership and involvement in Ajnala assault
In 2022, Amritpal Singh assumed the leadership of the Punjabi political organisation, ‘Waris Punjab De,’ where he voiced pro-Khalistani views in his speeches. He was also implicated in the violent Ajnala police station assault, in which armed men attacked police officers in response to the arrest of one of his associates.
Tasrem Singh announces plans
In September 2024, Amritpal Singh’s father Tasrem Singh talked his intent to form a new political party in Punjab to advocate for the “welfare of all.” Speaking after prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, both Tasrem Singh and his wife shared their belief that a new political entity was essential for strengthening Punjab during its current sensitive period.
“The party will promote the welfare of all and will adhere to the principle of ‘manas ki jaat sabhay eke pechanbo’ (equality of mankind),” Tasrem Singh said during the fourth foundation day celebration of Amritpal Singh’s organisation, Waris Punjab De.
