Why son of Indira Gandhi’s assassin is contesting Lok Sabha polls from Punjab

Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, 45, son of Beant Singh, one of the assassins of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, will be contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Punjab as an Independent candidate.

Khalsa, a resident of Mohali, had unsuccessfully contested the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Bathinda as SAD (Amritsar) candidate, garnering 1.13 lakh votes. He also fought the 2007 Punjab assembly polls as SAD (Amritsar) candidate from the Bhadaur assembly segment in Barnala district, polling 15,702 votes. He again tried his luck as the BSP candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but was defeated again. He didn’t contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the subsequent 2022 Assembly elections.

His mother, Bimal Kaur, and his grandfather, Sucha Singh, became MPs from Ropar and Bathinda, respectively, in 1989. Both of them were elected on SAD (Amritsar) ticket.

Focus on sacrilege issue

Talking to the media, Khalsa said many people in Faridkot have requested him to run in elections, and he plans to do so as an independent. “I decided to contest from Faridkot about a month ago. Many villagers had approached me to contest, so I made the decision. I will reach the constituency next week,” Khalsa told The Indian Express.

Spelling out his agenda, Khalsa said punishment to those responsible for the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Faridkot district in 2015 will be his poll plank. “I chose Faridkot as sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib occurred there during the SAD-BJP rule in 2015 and the culprits haven’t been punished till date. It is sad that the so called Panthic party — Shiromani Akali Dal — couldn’t provide justice in the case,” Khalsa told the daily.

The incidents related to the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari village and subsequent killing of two persons in police firing at anti-sacrilege protesters at Behbal Kalan took place in Faridkot district.

It turned out to be a major issue in Punjab, leading to the downfall of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led by the Badal clan, as the party, which won consecutive assembly elections in Punjab in 2007 and 2012, was reduced to 15 seats in 2017 assembly elections and just 3 seats in the 2022 assembly polls. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls too, the SAD could win only 2 out of 13 Lok Sabha seats.

Notably, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal in December last year apologised to the Sikh community for failing to nab the culprits in the Bargari sacrilege case in 2015, when his party was ruling the state in alliance with the BJP.

Rising drug menace

Khalsa said easy availability of drugs, which is ruining the life of youth in Punjab, will be another key issue that he will raise during his campaign.

He also opined that the level of education has gone down in the state, due to which youth are not finding employment opportunities and are looking for greener pastures abroad. He said the state’s youth may have access to job avenues if the standard of education is improved.

The AAP has fielded actor Karamjit Anmol from Faridkot Lok Sabha seat while the BJP has named singer Hans Raj Hans. At present, Faridkot constituency is represented by Congress MP Mohammad Sadique.

Elections for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will take place on June 1.

Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, who were Indira Gandhi's bodyguards, killed her on October 31, 1984, at her residence. Beant was killed by security guards, whereas Satwant Singh was apprehended and subsequently sentenced to death.