Four days before polling, only one face dominates political posters through Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib city. That face belongs to Amritpal Singh, whose visage is splashed across the Lok Sabha constituency of the same name. The separatist leader, currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam, is contesting as an independent candidate.

Amritpal was arrested in April last year after being on the run for over a month. He was booked under the National Security Act and faces a number of charges ranging from attempted murder to extortion. His political campaign focuses on Sikh identity and ending Punjab’s drug menace. 

“Fighting elections was not on his agenda. But people decided he should contest elections,” his father Tarsem Singh said. “When we went to meet him in jail and talked about contesting elections, he refused. Then we told him there is a lot of pressure from people and he said, ‘We are here to serve the people. We cannot go away from the people.’”

Newslaundry met Tarsem and his wife Balwinder Kaur at their home in Jallapur Kheda village, where hundreds of workers were in attendance. They were setting off to address a roadshow when Tarsem agreed to speak to this reporter for five minutes, on condition that he wasn’t asked any questions on Khalistan. 

“I have no political experience. We are doing all this for the first time,” said Tarsem. “We used to do village-level politics but not at this level. It was the love of the people that compelled us to come into politics. Now, people are campaigning for us. People from all over Punjab are coming to campaign for him.”

He added, “People from different parts of Punjab say that the government has done a great injustice to Amritpal. He has done a great job on drug addiction, so people have great hope that only Amritpal can free our children and Punjab from drug addiction. People consider him their leader.”

On Amritpal’s purpose in politics, his father said, “Our purpose is to save the youth of Punjab from drugs and use their energy in a better place. We have to connect them with religion.”

And those who support him feel deep connections to the hot-headed 31-year-old. In Khadoor Sahib, Newslaundry met 30-year-old Khushwant Singh, who came to the city 10 days ago from Bhatinda to campaign for Amritpal – paying entirely out of his own pocket.

“I feel he’s a quick-witted leader of our community. It is very important that he is released, that is why we’ve come here to campaign,” Khushwant said. “The government has put him in jail on false charges.”

The appeal of Amritpal

The Lok Sabha constituency of Khadoor Sahib was formed in 2008 after delimitation. In the three Lok Sabha polls held so far since then, the Akali Dal won in 2009 and 2014 while the Congress won in 2019. There are approximately 15 lakh voters, most of them Sikh.

Importantly, Khadoor Sahib replaced the former constituency of Tarn Taran, which had elected pro-Khalistan leader Simranjit Singh Mann to the Lok Sabha in 1989. Amritpal’s supporters often tell the story of Mann’s victory – how the former IPS officer won the election from jail and was then released. Thirty-five years later, they hope Amritpal will follow a similar path. 

It’s worth noting that Mann’s party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), has thrown its weight behind Amritpal’s candidacy. 

Contesting against the jailed separatist leader is BJP’s Manjit Singh Manna, AAP’s Laljit Singh Bhullar, Congress’s Kulbir Singh Zira, and Shiromani Akali Dal’s Virsa Singh Valtoha, apart from sundry candidates from the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Communist Party of India.

Newslaundry visited Amritpal’s nominal Lok Sabha campaign office in Khadoor Sahib. It was just a small room with two sofas and a few chairs but was teeming with people, including Daljit Singh, a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib, who came to town to campaign for Amritpal.

Dalit, who has retired from the army, said he’s lost his “whole family” to drugs. His 20-year-old son is an addict and sold off some of Daljit’s property – an air conditioner, a refrigerator, a motorcycle – to buy drugs. 

“I kept complaining to the police but no one listened to me. I have only one son and he got ruined,” he said. “Not just that – during that phase he married a girl without permission from her family. He ruined her life too.”

Daljit alleged drug peddlers in his village were all affiliated with a certain political party which is why the police “harassed” him when he tried to complain.

“That is why I have come to campaign in support of Amritpalji,” he said. “He was working against drugs. We will make people taste amrit [nectar].”

Everyone had a story about drug addiction. The state recorded 266 deaths due to “overdoses of narcotic and psychotropic substances” from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2023. When this journalist said he’d continue reporting until 9 pm, the taxi driver warned that it was “difficult to leave” after 7 pm since drugs “come from Pakistan” over the border. 

It’s why Amritpal’s stance against drugs holds such currency. Jagdeep Singh, who runs a grocery shop in Baad village, said confidently that “Brother Amritpal” will win here because “the main issue here is drug addiction”.

“This election is being fought on this issue. Here, Brother Amritpal has more clout,” he said. “People think he was deliberately put in jail because his fame was increasing. He was taking the youth with him. He was weaning them off drugs. He was giving amrit to people. That is why the youth is with him.”

Jagdeep continued, “The AAP had promised to end drug addiction, and to take action in sacrilege cases. People voted for them but they did not do either of the two. That is why people have backed away from them this time. Except for one or two, the AAP will not get any seat. Amritpal is here. The youth campaign for him...People are campaigning for him in every village.”

But what about the K question? While Amritpal’s father refused to talk about Khalistan, we got Lakhwinder Singh, who works in Amritpal’s campaign office, to open up. 

“Many people of the Hindu community in the country demand that India become a Hindu nation. Many leaders who are in high positions also talk about a Hindu nation. No one has put them in jail till now,” he said. “If someone talked about Hindu nation, it was okay. But if someone talked about his religion, he was put in jail under the NSA. This double standard has been going on in Punjab for a long time. It is not right.”

Newslaundry noticed that many of Amritpal’s posters in Khandoor Sahib city had pictures of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. When asked about it, Surendra Pal Singh, who handles media for Amritpal, said, “Why do BJP people put Modi’s picture on their posters? Because he is their leader. Similarly, Bhindranwale is our leader. That is why his picture is on the poster. What is wrong with that?”

Opposition says he’s ‘anti-peace’

But what do opposition parties think about Amritpal?

Ekdeep Singh, who is in charge of the Congress’s Lok Sabha election office in Khandoor Sahib, said Amritpal’s “campaign is more on social media”.

“He is not seen on the ground,” he said of the jailed candidate. “Two days ago, there was a roadshow by his mother in Tarn Taran city. There were just as many people as could be counted. But half of them were youngsters whose names wouldn’t even be on the voter list.”

Ekdeep offered dire warnings if Amritpal should win.

“It will not be good for the city,” he said firmly. “Earlier, people made sure Simarjit Singh Mann, who has the same ideology, won. What did he do for the good of this place? He kept protesting in the name of carrying a big sword inside the Lok Sabha and resigned.” 

Mann had resigned as an MP in 1990 when he was denied entry with his kirpan. “What good did it do for the people here?” Ekdeep asked. “Amritpal is using the religious sentiments of people for polls. Which will ultimately cause harm. His arrival will increase violence and then Punjab will go back to the era of terrorism.”

The Congressman waved this reporter towards Amritpal’s election manifesto, which details various promises such as “stopping” migration to and from Punjab.

“You read it. Today lakhs of people come to Punjab from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states to work,” Ekdeep said. “If he wins, how many problems will arise for them? By the way,  Amritpal's noise is more, but he is not on the ground. There are nine constituencies here. Except for one or two, he is not there. And one important thing is that the educated and peace-loving people will not give a chance to Amritpal.”

Karamveer Singh Maan, who was also in the Congress office, alleged his party had no posters in Khandoor Sahib because young people “who are jumping behind Amritpal” either tore them down or stuck Amritpal’s posters over them.

“And as far as hoardings are concerned, the election officers here do not give a chance to any political party other than AAP...Even if they get a chance at a few places, Amritpal’s young supporters tear them up,” he mourned.

Kulwant Singh Pannu, the urban head of the AAP in Khandoor Sahib, told Newslaundry the real fight in the constituency is between the AAP and Congress; Amritpal does not even figure.

“Those who have ‘tasted amrit’ have started following Amritpal. But now people are less associated with him,” he said. “People have come to know that terrorism will spread with the arrival of such people. When India-Pakistan was divided, Punjab saw so many things. If Khalistan is formed, then we will have to face the same things all the time. That is why people are now distancing themselves from him.”

Newslaundry pointed out that Amritpal’s campaign focuses on drugs, not Khalistan. 

Pannu said, “It is true that drug addiction is a big issue here. Our government also has not controlled drug addiction which is why there is an issue. But wise people have recognised Amritpal’s intentions. They do not want to put the state in the pit of terrorism again.”

This report was originally published on Newslaundry Hindi. It was translated to English by Shardool Katyayan.

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