NEW DELHI: In a significant development, Congress MP from Jalandhar and former Chief Minister of Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday, rising above the party line, lodged protest against detention of pro-freedom Sikh leader and Khadoor Sahib MP Bhai Amritpal Singh under the contentious National Security Act (NSA) in Indian Parliament. 

While delivering his speech during the monsoon session of the parliament, Channi was listing the various kinds of emergencies in India, including atrocities against minorities and unprivileged sections of the society. “There is another emergency. 20 lakh people of Punjab elected a youth as their Member of Parliament. However, he is being kept behind bars under the NSA. His freedom of speech is being suppressed. He is not able to raise voice of his constituency in the parliament. This is an emergency”, he said. 

He also asserted that parents of legendary Punjabi singer Shubdeep Singh Sidhu Moosewala who was assassinated by the state-sponsored gangsters in daylight, are not being delivered justice in this country. He also raised voice against the human rights of tribal people and journalists, besides listing several other instances of the human rights violations and state brutality in the parliament. 

Pro-government Indian mainstream media seems to be upset over his statement. The Indian TV news channels are terming his statement made in favour of the Waris Punjab De (WPD) chief as “controversial remark”. 

When Channi exited the parliamentary hall, journalists of Indian mainstream media started asking questions on Amritpal Singh. Channi replied that what he was to speak, he had spoken in the parliament. 

Congress party of India is known for committing atrocities against the Sikhs during its regimes since 1947. So, raising voice for the fundamental rights of a Sikh leader who favours freedom of the community, by its MP is being considered as big development. He did not take care of the party stand on the issue while lodging his protest against NSA detention of Amritpal Singh. 

Even Ludhiana Congress MP and president of party’s Punjab unit Amarinder Singh Raja Warring had to endorse statement of Channi, but in guarded manner. 

This daring speech of the former Punjab CM is hitting headlines of the media and is being lauded by the Sikh segments and human rights activists. 

A peaceful religious preacher and community leader Amritpal Singh is lodged to Dibrugarh jail of Assam under the NSA along with his nine aides for over a year. He was not released despite being elected as an MP from Khadoor Sahib constituency. He registered thumping victory in the recently held parliamentary elections by defeating his nearest contender and Congress nominee by the nearly 1.97 lakh votes. 

Before the elections too, Channi raised voice in favour of Amritpal Singh and his aides. 

 After his ticket was announced by the party, Channi paid obeisance at Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) on April 15 to offer thanks to Guru Sahib.

While interacting with the media, he lambasted the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for invoking NSA against the youths of Punjab. “The CM is hatching conspiracies against Punjab in understanding with the Centre. The CM supported those who shot at agitating farmers. The CM detained youths of Punjab by invoking NSA against them. We have an opportunity now to teach a lesson to this CM”, he said.

In the words of slain Sikh activist Sandeep Singh Sidhu aka Deep Sidhu, he said, “We are fighting a battle for the existence of Punjab”.

He further said, “The Union government wants to create rifts among people of Punjab”.

During the last many decades, Channi was the first CM of Punjab, who showed guts before the BJP government of India. During the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ferozepur, he refused to arrest peacefully protesting farmers to clear the road of the convoy of the PM. This enraged the entire Indian establishment. Terming it as a “big lapse” in the security of the PM, the Indian government conducted a high level inquiry of the case. However, Channi did not bow before the government.