E-Paper
Kultar Sandhwan: Of humble beginnings and strong political legacy
A non-Jat Sikh face, Sandhwan, 46, will be formally elected as the speaker on March 21. He will succeed Congress leader Rana Kanwar Pal Singh. Kultar’s grandfather Jangir Singh and Giani Zail Singh were brothers
Taking forward the legacy of former president Giani Zail Singh, his grandnephew Kultar Singh Sandhwan, nominated as the next speaker of the Punjab assembly in the new AAP government, has brought grassroots politics in the state back to the fore after decades.
A non-Jat Sikh face, Sandhwan, 46, will be formally elected as the speaker on March 21. He will succeed Congress leader Rana Kanwar Pal Singh. Kultar’s grandfather Jangir Singh and Giani Zail Singh were brothers.
Sandhwan had staked claim to Zail Singh’s legacy when he first successfully contested the assembly elections from Kotkapura in 2017 as an AAP candidate. Now his re-election has strengthened his political status as he defeated SAD’s three-time MLA Mantar Brar for the second consecutive time.
Sandhwan, who completed his automobile engineering from Karnataka in 1997, joined active politics in 2002. He became Congress-backed sarpanch of Sandhwan village from 2003 to 2008. He joined AAP when party started its membership drive in 2012.
Like Zail Singh, Sandhwan is a grassroots politician of humble origins. He had been a strong advocate for environmental conservation and has also worked with some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on these issues. He has been raising his voice against the ‘poor’ state of government health system, including working of Faridkot’s government medical college, in the past. He is also AAP’s kisan wing’s state president.
Sandhwan had maintained a strong stand against the 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents in Faridkot. He had continuously participated in all the protests held by the families of the victims and on some occasions he was the only leader joining these protests.
With his nomination to the key post of the speaker, Sandhwan has inherited the political legacy left by Congress’ Zail Singh, a veteran in Punjab politics who served as the president of India from 1982-87. He also served as the chief minister of Punjab from 1972-1977 besides holding various posts in the state and central governments.
Sandhwan ‘s political history
Sandhwan village in Kotkapura segment holds significance in political history. After the assembly elections in 1972, Giani Zail Singh became the chief minister of Punjab and Jaswinder Singh Brar was elected leader of opposition, both were residents of Sandhwan village. Zail Singh was elected from the Anandpur Sahib constituency, while Brar was elected from Kotkapura on SAD ticket.
