Lok Sabha MP and jailed Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh on Tuesday launched a new political party in Punjab called Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), The Indian Express reported.

The party was launched by his supporters at the Maghi Mela in Muktsar, The New Indian Express reported. A statement attributed to Amritpal Singh during the event said that the formation of the party was “the first step towards the resurgence of Akali politics”.

Amritpal Singh, who won the general election in June from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib constituency as an independent candidate, is currently in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act. He is the leader of Khalistan separatist organisation Waris Punjab De, or heirs of Punjab.

Khalistan is an independent Sikh nation sought by some groups.

At the launch on Tuesday, the jailed MP’s father, Tarsem Singh, said that his son would serve as the president of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) and added that a membership drive had begun for the party.

“Let us come together to save Punjab and protect the Panth [community],” The New Indian Express quoted Tarsem Singh as saying. “Anyone can join by the party and become a member by filling out the form.’’

A 15-point resolution was also passed, which appointed Amritpal Singh, 31, as the “mukh sewadar”, or chief attendant of the organisation.

Apart from Tarsem Singh, Faridkot MP Sarabjit Singh Khalsa was present at the launch of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De). Khalsa, an Independent legislator, is the son of one of the assassins of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

“The state needs an Akali Dal to represent the Sikhs,” Khalsa was quoted as saying. “The previous Akali Dal lost the trust of the people as their leaders had confessed their crimes before the Akal Takht, so they cannot face the people now.”

The Akal Takht the supreme temporal body of the Sikhs.

He added: “So this Akali Dal has been formed and is the new hope for the Sikh community. People should support the new party and make it successful.”

The party was launched days after the working committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal on January 10 accepted the resignation of Sukhbir Singh Badal from the post of party president after he was declared guilty of religious misconduct by the Akal Takht.

In December, the Akal Takht ordered Badal and other leaders of the party to clean washrooms and kitchens of Amritsar’s Golden Temple as punishment for religious misconduct. It also directed the party to accept Badal’s resignation and constitute a committee for the reorganisation of the party.

Badal was the deputy chief minister of Punjab between 2007 and 2017.

Amritpal Singh was arrested on April 23, 2023, from Punjab’s Moga after he had been on the run for more than a month. He was flown to Assam on a special flight and sent to the Dibrugarh Central Jail.

The Punjab Police began cracking down on members of Waris Punjab De days after Amritpal Singh and his supporters stormed a police station in Amritsar on February 23, 2023. This came after one of Singh’s aides was arrested for alleged assault and attempted kidnapping.

Singh had garnered a significant following with his speeches centred around Punjab’s youth and the Sikh religion. He had also publicly supported the demand for Khalistan.