In an interview where he clearly and sharply questions the competence and even the intentions of the Punjab Police and Aam Aadmi Party government of Punjab as well as, it seems, the Government of India, the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal and a former deputy chief minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal, asks: “If they (the two governments and Punjab police) had to catch him (Amritpal Singh) why didn’t they catch him at his house early in the morning? Everyone knows every night he goes back to his home. But they didn’t do that. So what is their game plan? Everyone in Punjab is quite shocked at the game plan being played by the Government of India and the government of Punjab.”
In a 30-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Sukhbir Singh Badal went on to say “the people of Punjab do not know Amritpal”. He said the media has built him up and the media has created the fear that Khalistani sentiment is reviving and growing in Punjab. That, he forcefully added, is not true.
Badal said: “We Sikhs do not want Khalistan. The Shiromani Akali Dal wants a strong and peaceful nation and a strong Punjab”. Badal said 99.99% of the people of Punjab want peace. As he put it: “point point point 1% want Khalistan”. At another point in the interview, he said: “100% … I guarantee .. there is no sentiment of Khalistan (in Punjab).”
In the interview to The Wire, Badal was asked how he responds to the claim made by Amritpal Singh (in television interviews and also quoted by The Hindu 4/3) that if the BJP can lay stress on Hindu revival and Hindutva he has a right to talk about Khalistan? In response, Badal said: “Hindutva is sending the wrong message to other communities.” Please see the interview for further details of what Badal said about this.
On several occasions in the interview, Badal raised questions about Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and their alleged involvement either with Khalistan seminars and/or Amritpal Sigh. He specifically questioned the Punjab police’s failure to act on February 23, when the Ajnala incident happened, and even earlier when Gurudwaras in Jalandhar were vandalised by Amritpal Singh’s supporters. Again, please see the interview for further details of what Badal says about both issues.
Badal was also asked about the view in some quarters that Amritpal Singh is being propped up by the Union government either to undermine the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab and/or to play the role Pulwama played in 2014. This view is mentioned in an Op-ed article in today’s Business Standard (24/3). Please see the interview for Badal’s response.
As far as I know, this is the first interview given by Badal or any senior member of the Shiromani Akali Dal about Amritpal Singh, his handling by both the state and Union governments, the situation in Punjab and the belief or fear that the Khalistan movement is showing signs of revival. Badal’s is a viewpoint that is not heard frequently on television. I, therefore, encourage you to watch this interview.
