New Delhi: Amritpal Singh, a Khalistan sympathiser and the chief of pro-Khalistan outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’, spoke to ABP Sanjha about the recent violence at Ajnala police station, his calls for Khalistan, being labelled as an “ISI agent”, and the woes of Punjab’s youth.


In an exclusive interview with ABP News Executive Editor Jagwinder Patial on Thursday, Amritpal Singh said: “(Our) Ultimate goal is Khalistan. Khalistan is our destination, the struggle for it is our path ahead. Khalistan is the ultimate solution to every problem we have right now.”


He said that the “movement” has continuity and it is wrong to say that the previous efforts for it “failed” because the struggle for it is ongoing.


Concerns over Punjab’s law and order resurfaced as thousands of supporters of Amritpal Singh staged a massive demonstration in Amritsar to protest against the arrest of his aide Lovepreet Singh Toofan. The supporters had swords and guns in their hands, they broke through police barricades erected outside the Ajnala police station.


The police later said “in the light of the evidence presented”, it was decided that Lovepreet Singh Toofan will be discharged. He was then released from jail after a court in Ajnala passed an order for it on an application filed by the police.


When asked about the incident, Amritpal Singh said that the Ajnala incident was a “victory of the Panth”. “We are on the path of (Sikh) Panth, it was not our individual matter,” he stressed.


“You don’t care about an innocent Sikh youth who was lodged in jail… he was targeted because he does the work of Panth,” he remarked when questioned about carrying the Palki Sahib of Guru Granth Sahib to the police station which made the situation even more difficult for Punjab Police to contain.


He also denied speculation about any understanding with Amritsar Police. The ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief questioned the police and administration saying, “why was FIR lodged in the case without any evidence?”


His claims contradict what the Amritsar Police had said that he and his supporters used the Palki Sahib of Guru Granth Sahib as a shield to break barricades. 


“We didn’t use the Swaroop of Guru Granth Sahib,” he said when asked about the act of taking the holy book, regarded as the 10th Guru in Sikhism, to the Ajnala police station.


Without naming Amritpal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann recently criticised him in a tweet that read, “Those who use Guru Granth Sahib as a shield do not deserve to be called the waris (heirs) of Punjab.”


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Amritpal Singh On Being Called ‘ISI Agent’


“The propaganda to label anyone who talks about the Panth or Punjab as an ISI agent is not new. When those responsible for mending the societal structure fail to do so, someone who identifies the problem and works on them is faced with this kind of blame game. I am a servant of Sikhi,” the Khalistan sympathiser said.


He further claimed that the result of the Sangrur by-election — wherein Simranjit Singh Mann, a known radical Sikh leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), won the Lok Sabha seat vacated by CM Bhagwant Mann — showed that the elected political system in Punjab has become irrelevant as people were disillusioned by parties’ promises.


“Unemployment is a genocidal symptom. Punjab also has a drug problem. Nowhere else, youth in villages are dying of drug abuse,” he said, adding that “western philosophy” of deaddiction centres and psychiatry have failed to yield results.


“A structure based on Khalsa needs to be built to tackle all issues. These issues come from a sense of inferiority complex in society,” he opined.


Talking about Punjab’s challenges, he said: “Youth in Punjab is dealing with unemployment. Those who remain in the state either end up with drugs or get involved in crime.”


“Those who are not affluent enough to leave the state end up taking drugs,” he added.


“Mass migration is a genocidal symptom,” the Waris Punjab De chief said, alleging that Sikhs were still being targeted as a community.


‘Ghulam Sikh’ Dr Manmohan Singh Made Prime Minister For Tokenism: Amritpal Singh


When asked about the role of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, he called the veteran Congress leader “a Ghulam Sikh (enslaved Sikh)” who was made prime minister a “token gesture to tell Sikhs that one of them was in a position of power”. “He was made to apologise for Sikh riots (1984 anti-Sikh riots). It’s absurd a Sikh was made to apologise for the (anti) Sikh riots,” Amritpal commented.


Throughout the interview, he continued to allege that Sikhs were in an enslaved condition in the country.


On CM Mann’s allegation suggesting that people like Amritpal Singh are being funded by Pakistan, he said: “Pakistan is the one in need of funding considering its economic situation. Such allegations are levelled by everyone.”


The Waris Punjab De chief remarked that he will stage another Ajnala-like protest carrying the Guru Granth Sahib if police arrested his aides again.


Watch the full interview here: