NEW DELHI: Congress MP and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi triggered an uproar in Parliament on Thursday after he accused the Union government of curbing ‘free speech’ of newly elected MP and radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh by invoking the National Security Act against him.
The former Punjab CM, referring to Amritpal’s win in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, said, “Every day they talk about emergencies, but what about the current situation in the country? A famous young man, a well-known singer, was shot dead, and till now, Sidhu Moosewala’s family has not received justice and is wandering from place to place.”
“This is also an emergency.It is also an emergency that a Member of Parliament elected by 2 million people in Punjab is being detained under the National Security Act and cannot speak for his constituents. This is also an emergency,” he added.
Amritpal, a Khalistani sympathizer and head of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit, is held for offenses under the National Security Act and has garnered attention for his radical activities, including an incident in February where he clashed with police in an attempt to free an aide.
The Punjab Police had launched the crackdown after the February 23 Ajnala incident last year in which Amritpal Singh and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the police station on the outskirts of Amritsar city, and clashed with police for the release of Lovepreet Singh Toofan, one of his aides.
Amritpal Singh was sworn in as Members of Parliament under heavy security in the Parliamnet complex. Singh is currently Assam’s Dibrugarh prison. Amritpal , who won from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab could not take their oaths with other newly elected MPs on June 24 and 25 due to their incarceration.
The former Punjab CM, referring to Amritpal’s win in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, said, “Every day they talk about emergencies, but what about the current situation in the country? A famous young man, a well-known singer, was shot dead, and till now, Sidhu Moosewala’s family has not received justice and is wandering from place to place.”
“This is also an emergency.It is also an emergency that a Member of Parliament elected by 2 million people in Punjab is being detained under the National Security Act and cannot speak for his constituents. This is also an emergency,” he added.
Amritpal, a Khalistani sympathizer and head of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit, is held for offenses under the National Security Act and has garnered attention for his radical activities, including an incident in February where he clashed with police in an attempt to free an aide.
The Punjab Police had launched the crackdown after the February 23 Ajnala incident last year in which Amritpal Singh and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the police station on the outskirts of Amritsar city, and clashed with police for the release of Lovepreet Singh Toofan, one of his aides.
Amritpal Singh was sworn in as Members of Parliament under heavy security in the Parliamnet complex. Singh is currently Assam’s Dibrugarh prison. Amritpal , who won from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab could not take their oaths with other newly elected MPs on June 24 and 25 due to their incarceration.
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