No ‘rift’ in Akali Dal (WPD), says MP Amritpal’s father

Radical Sikh leaders launched the regional party at a political conference on the sidelines of the annual Maghi Mela in Muktsar on January 14.

Days after announcing the new political outfit, Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) leadership on Saturday paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and Akal Takht to seek blessings before starting the party’s membership drive across the state and denied any rumours of rift within its members.

Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s father Tarsem Singh (extreme left) with other leaders of the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) party at the Golden Temple on Saturday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)

Radical Sikh leaders launched the regional party at a political conference on the sidelines of the annual Maghi Mela in Muktsar on January 14.

Accompanied by Faridkot MP Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s father Tarsem Singh led the party leaders and said the party will have offices at Chandigarh and Amritsar.

Tarsem said that in the first phase, the party will launch a membership drive. “We will constitute a district-level committee first which will run the membership drive, after which district presidents will be elected. Units will be constituted in the cities as well,’ he said.

MP Amritpal’s father also slammed reports indicating that Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of slain human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, and Sukhwinder Singh Agwan, nephew of one of the assassins of former prime minister Indira Gandhi Satwant Singh, are not happy over not being inducted in the committees formed on the day the party was launched.

“Bibi Khalra is abroad and informed us that she would stay there for the next 3-4 months. We even urged her to lead the party, but she expressed her helplessness in doing so. However, she is with us. We all are together ,” Tarsem said.

Khalsa added that Agwan had some urgent work, so he couldn’t join us here today.

Notably, Khalra’s wife had played a significant role in campaigning for Amritpal Singh in Lok Sabha elections, while Agwan is a close associate of MP Khalsa and has been playing a vital role in the activities of Amritpal’s team as well in the formation of the party.