Why Amritpal Singh’s party has fielded the son of Indira Gandhi’s assassin

Announcing Satwant Singh’s candidacy from Bassi Pathana in Fatehgarh Sahib district on Monday, the party’s working president and Amritpal’s father Tarsem Singh said, “The politics of the ADWPD is not limited merely to gaining power, but is committed to advancing panthic principles, Punjab’s rights, and the honour and respect of families who have made sacrifices for Sikhs.”

Tarsem Singh said the candidacy of Satwant Singh was a direct rebuttal of recent claims that the party was ignoring such families.

Satwant Singh, a former bank manager, told The Indian Express, “For a long time, Sarabjit Singh, Sukhwinder Singh Aghwan, and I have been meeting at functions where we are honoured due to the shared background of our families. I had joined the campaign for Sarabjit Singh Khalsa in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Now, both Khalsa and Aghwan have recommended my name for the party ticket.”

Kalsa said last week’s appointment of Aghwan to the parliamentary board was important. The board will select suitable candidates across all 117 Assembly constituencies. This is a great honour for the families of martyrs,” said the MP.

Aghwan said Kehar Singh’s family had been “completely forgotten” until now. “The highly educated and thoughtful Satwant Singh, the son of martyr Kehar Singh who was completely ignored until today, has been declared the party’s first candidate from Bassi Pathana. Those who call themselves Panthic have never before shown such families this kind of respect, even though these families made huge sacrifices and endured great hardship,” he said, thanking Tarsem Singh, Amritpal, and the party leadership.

The Waris Punjab De faced weeks of criticism for allegedly ignoring the families with what many have labelled a “sacrifice background”. The criticism has come most notably from Mandeep Singh, the brother of Sandeep Singh who is facing trial in the murder of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri, and former police officer Suba Singh, who has been convicted in a case of fake encounter during the militancy years. Last year, Mandeep Singh contested the Tarn Taran by-election as an Independent, backed by the Waris Punjab De and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). He finished third.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, who heads the breakaway Akali group SAD (Punar Surjit) urged all Akali factions to unite and reserve seats for the families of “political prisoners and martyrs”. Calling for Panthic unity — in this case, the parties that represent the collective interests of the Sikh community  — he said at a recent seminar, “Giving due respect and a share to martyrs’ families and Sikh political prisoners is the greatest need of the hour. A total of 30% of seats should go to Bandi Singhs (political prisoners) and martyrs’ families at the time of seat distribution. If we forget these families, it will be a betrayal and deceit toward the community.”

While the Waris Punjab De has garnered a sizable following due to the popularity of Amritpal Singh — the Khadoor Sahib MP has been in Dibrugarh jail since 2023 — and following Sarabjit Singh’s win, it lacks viable faces and an organised cadre. It is trying to fill this gap and make a play for the panthic votes by tying itself closely to the families of Indira Gandhi’s assassins and inducting known faces.

This comes at a time when Panthic politics in Punjab is in flux. The political footprint of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led by Sukhbir Singh Badal has rapidly shrunk and it is facing a strong challenge from the SAD (Punar Surjit).

In June, the party managed to pull off a coup when sitting Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali joined it. Ayali won on a SAD ticket in 2022 before briefly joining the SAD (Punar Surjit) last year. A political figure like him brings vital experience of ground-level election machinery that Waris Punjab De lacks at the moment and he is now trying to recruit disaffected leaders in the Badal-led party. On July 29, the party made an impact by holding a protest in Chandigarh, along with some other bodies, demanding the release of Bandi Singhs.

The party claimed credit after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently wrote to Governor Gulab Chand Kataria recommending a 10-day parole for Jagtar Singh Hawara who was convicted in the 1995 assassination of former CM Beant Singh.

Challenges for Waris Punjab De

The Waris Punjab De faces three distinct challenges.

First, smaller parties and religious groups opposed to the Badal-led Akalis are demanding a considerable share in seat-sharing and the outfit remains cautious about ceding space to allies who have not proved themselves electorally. With two MPs and an MLA, the Waris Punjab De has more legislators than the Badals’ party, which has one MP and one MLA.

Second, if the party decides to bring in unhappy Akali Dal leaders over to its side, it may risk alienating its core base as these leaders will carry the baggage of having been on the same side as the Badals.

Third, the party does not have basic infrastructure in place, including booth agents, that will be required to make an even bigger splash in the Assembly elections. Much of the party’s appeal and fortune is tied to the Amritpal factor. Without his physical presence, the party has to rely on his recorded speeches.

Asked if Amritpal’s absence would hamper its chances, Manpreet Singh Ayali told The Indian Express, “There’s sympathy for him while he is inside. Once he is out, well, you know what happens then.”

“When Sikhs come together, they bring a storm,” the MLA said. “Hindus will come along, Scheduled Castes will come along. Everyone will come.”

Ayali said if the Akalis end up reviving their alliance with the BJP, it would benefit his party as the SAD would have to cede 40 to 50 seats. “All their cadre will shift to us there; who’s going to vote BJP?”