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Punjab: In a first, Sukhbir lashes out at Amritpal, his party
Addressing a party rally in Malout in Muktsar district, Sukhbir questioned the radical leader’s motives and credibility, warning that Amritpal would “prove worse than Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann” if given power
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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday launched a frontal attack on Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh and his outfit, Waris Punjab De, accusing them of colluding with unnamed political powers to position themselves as the “saviours of Punjab.”
Addressing a party rally in Malout in Muktsar district, Sukhbir questioned the radical leader’s motives and credibility, warning that Amritpal would “prove worse than Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann” if given power.
Sukhbir’s blunt offensive comes in the wake of Waris Punjab De’s aggressive move to capture the state’s Panthic political space ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. The outfit recently announced seven candidates, including Amritpal’s key aides Papalpreet Singh and Daljit Singh Kalsi, as well as Satwant Singh—son of Kehar Singh, who was executed for his role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Sukhbir raised questions over Amritpal’s sudden rise in Punjab’s political landscape, pointing to his arrival in the state in 2022. “Amritpal came to Punjab in 2022 and no one still has clarity about his background,” he said. “He arrived as a clean-shaven person but he was projected as a Sikh religious figure. Now, they term him a ‘waris’ (successor) of Punjab. What kind of waris is Amritpal? He took Guru Granth Sahib to a police station and used the holy scripture as a shield.”
The SAD chief also contested Amritpal’s projected image as an anti-drug crusader, alleging that while the party claims he rehabilitates youth, the MP’s own brother was apprehended in connection with narcotics.
The Malout gathering marked Sukhbir first public rally in nearly two weeks, following medical observation after an attack in Nanded, Maharashtra, on August 13.
Sukhbir said the Akali leaders went to jail “fighting for the cause of Punjabis but never begged the governments for release from imprisonment”. “But the Waris Punjab De is seeking release of Amritpal but not rallying for Sikh prisoners who are languishing in jails even after completion of their sentence,” he said.
Sukhbir also brought up Amritpal’s family history, alleging past ties to the Congress. “His (Amritpal’s) family was associated with the Congress and they remained with it even after 1984 (when Operation Bluestar was conducted at the Golden Temple to flush out militants) and the anti-Sikh riots. Now, they are suddenly talking about the Panth,” said Sukhbir.
The SAD president also mentioned the murder of Amritpal’s former aide and Sikh activist Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau in Faridkot in October 2024.
“Gurpreet was a close associate of Waris Punjab De founder Deep Sidhu, and had joined hands with Amritpal after he took over as its chief but later parted ways. He was well aware of Amritpal’s suspicious activities and was eliminated after he began speaking out publicly to expose him,” alleged Sukhbir.
‘Conspiracy to weaken SAD’
Sukhbir also accused “Delhi-centric political parties” of attempting to diminish SAD’s standing by putting selective blame on the Badal family for past sacrilege incidents. “In the past decade, over 600 sacrilege incidents were reported in the successive tenures of the Congress and the AAP but there was no hue and cry. Only the Badal family and the SAD were targeted to weaken its leadership that supports communal harmony and peace,” he said. Sukhbir, however, refrained from making any direct comment on the BJP-led central government in his address.
