BATHINDA: It has been a long and hard initiation into active politics for 46-year-old Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, who contested as an independent candidate and won the Faridkot parliamentary seat.
Sarabjit Singh, who completed his matriculation in 1995, was elected to LS on re-emergence of Panthic politics in Punjab along with self-styled Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, who is currently in jail. The victory of these two independent candidates came in the 40th anniversary week of 1984’s Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple that had led to Indira Gandhi’s assassination that Oct and a Sikh massacre in Delhi that Nov.
Life changed for six-year-old Sarabjit when his father Beant Singh, a Delhi police SI who was part of the PM’s security detail, along with another of her bodyguards, Satwant Singh, assassinated Indira Gandhi in Oct 1984. The rest of the PM’s security killed Singh and the Sikh community later declared him a ‘qaumi shaheed (martyr of community).’
Sarabjit recalls that his family had seen times when it had no money even to pay his school fees. “My father didn’t care for the family and laid down his life... Sikh community support pulled my family through troubled times and elected my mother and grandfather to Parliament.”
Sarabjit Singh, who unsuccessfully contested three elections, wasn’t a serious challenger until Amritpal entered the poll fray. That brought a procession of Sikh preachers, ragis, and dhadis to his campaign and changed Faridkot’s opinion.
Soon, his campaign became a Sikh movement for repaying the “debt” owed to his father for “avenging” 1984’s terrorist-flush-out military raid on Harmandir Sahib, holiest of the faith’s shrines.
“Now that I have won, my priority will be to raise my voice in Parliament to ensure legally there is provision of death penalty for the heinous crime of sacrilege... we will field Panthic candidates in byelections and upcoming SGPC election,” he said.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.Neel Kamal writes about sustainable agriculture, environment, cli...
Read MoreNeel Kamal writes about sustainable agriculture, environment, climate change for The Times of India. His incisive and comprehensive reporting about over a year-long farmers' struggle against farm laws at the borders of the national capital won laurels. He is an alumunus of Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology.
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