DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

A day after supporters of jailed radical preacher Amritpal Singh floated a regional political outfit, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said it is up to the people to decide its fate and asserted that "seeds of hatred" will never grow on the state's soil.

"There have been attempts at polarisation and creating acrimony between two communities in the past, but they did not succeed," Mann said while replying to queries on the issue.

Radical leaders and supporters of Amritpal Singh announced the formation of 'Akali Dal- Waris Punjab De' in Muktsar district on the occasion of Maghi Mela on Tuesday.

Amritpal Singh, who was arrested in April 2023 and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as an independent candidate, was elected to Parliament from Khadoor Sahib. He is currently lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh Jail under the National Security Act.

Replying to a question on Amritpal Singh's party, Mann said, "People of Punjab are very wise. Anyone has the right to get a new party registered. What agenda is put forth by them and whether it is accepted by people, it is up to the public.

"People of the state have suffered in the past. I often say the soil of Punjab is very fertile, but seeds of hatred will never germinate here," he told reporters.

The chief minister said Punjab is a sacred land of great Gurus, saints and seers who have shown the path of mutual love and tolerance.

Amritpal Singh, who heads the 'Waris Punjab De' outfit and has styled himself after slain Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was jailed along with nine of his associates under the NSA.

During the announcement of their outfit in Muktsar on Tuesday, a 15-point resolution, called Sri Muktsar Sahib declaration, was passed by his supporters.

According to the resolution, the Khadoor Sahib MP has been appointed as 'mukh sewadar' of the newly floated party.

Till the election of the regular president of the party, a five-member executive committee has been formed which will lead the political outfit.

Amritpal's father Tarsem Singh and Faridkot MP Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa will be among the five members of the committee which has been entrusted with the task of building the organisational structure of the party, according to the resolution.

(editor@dailyworld.in)