Demand For ‘Khalsa State’ Not A Crime: Amritpal Singh Refutes Mother’s ‘Not A Khalistani’ Remark
Jailed Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh on Saturday refuted his mother’s recent claim that her son was not a Khalistani supporter as she demanded his release from Assam’s Dibrugarh jail. Day after taking oath as a Lok Sabha MP, the radical Sikh preacher issued a statement on X, asserting that “dreaming of a Khalsa state is not a crime” and stating that he does not agree with the statement of his mother.
“Today, when I came to know about the statement made by mother, my heart was very sad. Even though I am sure that she made this remarks with the best of intentions, but such a statement should not come from my family or anyone who supports me,” the Khadoor Sahib MP said.
‘Khalsa state not a crime’
“Dreaming of a Khalsa state is a matter of pride, not a crime, it is a matter of pride. We cannot even dream of backing down from the path for which millions of Sikhs have sacrificed their lives. I have said this many times while speaking from the stage that if I had to choose between cult and family, I would always choose cult,” he added.
Amritpal Singh and jailed Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid aka Engineer Rashid took oath as Members of Parliament on Friday, representing the Khadoor Sahib and Baramulla Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively.
Singh and Rashid, who were granted parole for the oath-taking, were sworn-in as MPs on Friday (July 5) amid heavy security in and around the Parliament complex. The duo took oath in chamber of the Lok Sabha speaker after completing formalities after they were brought to the Parliament complex by security personnel in the morning.
Amritpal Singh is lodged in a prison in Assam’s Dibrugarh district for offences under the National Security Act. He was flown from Assam to Delhi on a four-day custody parole, for taking oath.
‘My son is not a Khalistani’
Meanwhile, after Singh took oath as MP, his mother, Balwinder Kaur, while addressing a press conference at her Amritsar residence, demanded his immediate release from prison and asserted that her son was not a Khalistani supporter.
“He (Amritpal Singh) is not a Khalistani supporter. By speaking about Punjab’s rights and saving Punjab’s youth (from drugs), can anyone become a supporter of Khalistan. He fought elections within the ambit of the Constitution and took oath. One should not say such a thing. He will raise Punjab’s issues and will save youth (from drugs),” Kaur said.
She said the ‘Sangat’ (community) is happy and celebrating Singh’s swearing-in as Lok Sabha MP and urged that the jailed preacher should be released immediately so he can work for his constituents.
“We demand that he be released immediately so that he can thank supporters and work on the issues on the basis of which elections were won,” said Kaur at her residence.
Kaur said her son’s supporters kept asking when he would come out of the jail. “We urge the government that he should be released immediately,” she said.
Replying to a question, she said people voted for him with expectations that he would work for their welfare.
“The main issues on which elections were fought were drug menace and release of ‘Bandi Singhs’,” she said.
“He is innocent, weaning away youths from drugs is not wrong,” she added.
(With inputs from agencies)
