Chandigarh, November 8
On November 11, Tarn Taran assembly segment in Punjab will go for a by-election necessitated by the death of ruling Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal. Normally, a by-election would not evince much interest, particularly when the result is not going to make any difference to the government. The AAP already has 93 legislators in a house of 117. Moreover, the by-election is being held just about a year ahead of the scheduled assembly elections.
However, the by-election is important for an entirely different reason. During the 2024 General Elections, the Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency elected radical Sikh preacher Amritpal to the parliament, while he was and continues to be in jail. He has been booked under the Public Safety Act. His victory came as a surprise and raised concerns as well. Because, he had been fiddling with not only the radical but also the secessionist ideology, which landed him and some of his associates in jail.
Besides Khadoor Sahib, another parliamentary constituency, Faridkot, also elected Sarabjit Singh, the son of Beant Singh, one of the assassins of the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Although Amritpal and Sarabjit did not have any alliance or understanding, their support base was the same. Both of them got the support of the radicals, as opposed to the moderate Akali politics.
Now, once again, the same narrative is being built up in the Tarn Taran by-election. Amritpal’s father, Tarsem Singh, found a new party named ‘Akali Dal-Waris Punjab De’. The party has fielded Mandeep Singh from here. Mandeep is the brother of Sandeep Singh, who is currently in jail for the murder of Amritsar-based Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri. While in jail, Sandeep was also accused of having attacked a retired cop who was jailed after being convicted in a case of fake encounter. The cop later succumbed to his injuries suffered during the alleged attack by Sandeep.
The obvious tilt towards the extremist politics preached and practiced by Amritpal has raised concern among people across Punjab. More concerned is the moderate Shiromani Akali Dal headed by Sukhbir Singh Badal. The moderate Akalis are worried that their base has started eroding, and the radicals and extremists are occupying the space that belonged to moderates.
Sukhbir’s second concern is that the breakaway faction of his party, headed by former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, has not fielded any candidate in Tarn Taran and has instead supported Amritpal’s candidate.
The ruling AAP has fielded a former three-time Akali MLA for the by-election. The political grapevine is that although the Sukhbir-led Akali Dal is putting up a spirited fight, its main purpose is to ensure the defeat of Amritpal’s candidate.
This is for two reasons. One, Sukhbir will never want radicals to emerge stronger lest they grab the moderate space and two, the breakaway faction has supported Amritpal’s party. It is like an enemy’s friend is also any enemy.
The subtle message of the moderate Akalis to its supporters is that they must ensure the defeat of Amritpal’s candidate, even if it means voting for the AAP candidate, who, in any case, is a former Akali only.
The Tarn Taran by-election will determine whether Punjab will be able to restrain the radicals and extremists from occupying the mainstream political space or not. That is why the by-election is being viewed and watched very keenly by everyone concerned.
In case Amritpal’s candidate manages to win, it will be challenging for the entire political setup in the state and not just the moderate Akalis whose space he (Amritpal) is occupying. Punjab cannot afford to slip back to the era of extremism once again.
Although there is nothing strange in politics, at the end of the day, on the day of the polling, the Akalis and the AAP might end up as “momentary allies” with a single point purpose and agenda to defeat Amritpal.
