Jailed Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh has distanced himself from his family's denial of his support for Khalistan, a proposed independent Sikh state. On Saturday, Singh, the chief of Waris Punjab De, issued a statement from an Assam jail, saying that his family members or supporters should not have disowned his beliefs.
Singh, who took oath as Khadoor Sahib MP on Friday, said, “Indeed, I believe that the statement given by my mother was made unknowingly, but still, such a statement should not come from my family or from anyone who supports me.”
“When I learned today about the statement given by my mother yesterday, my heart felt very heavy. Dreaming of Khalsa Raj is not a crime; rather, it is a matter of pride. We cannot even dream of stepping back from the path for which thousands of Sikhs have sacrificed their lives,” he said.
Amritpal Singh added: “I have said many times from various stages that if I have to choose between the Panth and my family, I will always choose the Panth. This statement aligns well with the historical incident where, as Sikhs were being martyred alongside Banda Singh Bahadur, a 14-year-old young man’s mother tried to save him by saying that he was not a Sikh. The young man then declared that if this woman claims I am not a disciple of the Guru, then I declare that she is not my mother. Indeed, this example is very harsh for this incident (of Amritpal’s mother statement), but from a principle standpoint, it is understandable.”
“I warn my family for even thinking about compromising on Sikh Raj, let alone speaking about it. Moving forward, there should be no such negligence when addressing the Sangat,” he said.
Earlier, on July 5, Singh's mother, Balwinder Kaur, told newsmen that her son was not a supporter of Khalistan.
"Amritpal Singh is not a supporter of Khalistan. Raising a voice for the rights of Punjab and working for the betterment of the youths do not make anyone a supporter of Khalistan. He contested the elections within the limits of the Indian constitution. Now, he has also taken an oath of the constitution. In such a situation, he should not be mentioned as the same”.
A video of her statement went viral on social media, inviting criticism from Sikh hardliners who objected to her remarks. On Saturday, Balwinder Kaur appealed to Sikh segments not to misinterpret her statement.
