Amritpal Singh's party seeks wider appeal, Khalistan remains divisive
Amritpal Singh's Akali Dal Waris Punjab De (WPD) is navigating a complex political challenge: broadening its appeal while managing internal divisions over Khalistan support. The party's effort to keep political focus on drugs and governance has been repeatedly overshadowed by its jailed leader's vocal backing for Khalistan and competing views within the outfit.
The tension came into sharp relief when former Enforcement Directorate official Niranjan Singh left the party after just four days, publicly rejecting Khalistan and asserting there was no place in the party for anything outside the Constitution. The episode underscores a contradiction the party has managed since its January 2025 formation, months after party chief Amritpal Singh won the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as an Independent from Khadoor Sahib. While Amritpal, currently lodged in Dibrugarh Jail in connection with a police station attack case, remains unapologetic about his Khalistan support, the party's mainstream political discourse has focused largely on other issues. His mother contradicted him publicly in July 2024, saying he was not a Khalistan supporter—a position he subsequently rejected.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), led by Simranjit Singh Mann, offers a cautionary example. That party has consistently advocated Khalistan and contested elections on the issue, yet struggled to expand beyond a limited electoral base despite Mann's three parliamentary elections.
