CHANDIGARH, July 7: Radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh has distanced himself from his mother’s statement in which she had said that her son was not a Khalistani supporter, according to a statement issued by the Khadoor Sahib MP.
“When I came to know about the statement made by ‘Mata ji’ (mother) yesterday, I felt hurt. Though I believe that ‘Mata ji’ made this statement unknowingly, even then such a statement should never come from my family or anyone who supports me,” read the statement issued by Singh through his team on Saturday night.
“Dreaming of ‘Khalsa Raj’ is not a crime but a matter of pride. Lakhs of Sikhs sacrificed their lives to fulfil this dream and we cannot think of stepping aside from this path.
“I have said many times from stages that if ever I had to choose between ‘Panth’ and family then I will always choose the ‘Panth’,” said the statement issued under the title ‘official statement by Amritpal Singh’.
Singh’s mother Balwinder Kaur on Friday, when he took oath as a member of Lok Sabha, had told reporters in Amritsar that her son is not a Khalistani supporter and demanded that he be released immediately so that he can work on the issues on which he fought the elections.
Kaur later in a video message said the media twisted her statement.
In his statement, the jailed ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief also said, “It fits well with a historical incident in which Sikhs accompanying Banda Singh Bahadur were being martyred, a 14-year-old youth’s mother tried to save him by saying that he was not a Sikh. Then youth said if this woman says I am not a Sikh then I declare that she is not my mother.
“Indeed, this example is quite severe for this incident but from a principle point of view, it is understandable.” “I warn my family to never even consider a compromise on Sikh Raj, let alone speaking against it. There should be no such mistake while interacting with ‘Sangat’,” it said. (PTI)
