Ravneet Bittu backs parole for detained MP Amritpal Singh

In a surprising political turn, Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu has publicly supported granting interim parole to jailed MP Amritpal Singh, who is currently lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam under the National Security Act (NSA).

Bittu’s remarks, made to reporters outside Parliament in New Delhi on Tuesday, represent a notable departure from his earlier criticism of the 32-year-old radical preacher and chief of the ‘Waris Punab De’ outfit. The shift comes amid deepening rifts within Punjab’s political landscape ahead of the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, which began on December 1, gets underway.

Singh was arrested in April 2023 following a month-long manhunt by Punjab Police amid allegations of inciting violence, promoting separatism, and disrupting public order. Despite his detention, he contested and won the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Khadoor Sahib as an Independent, securing over 4 lakh votes.

In June 2024, he was granted a four-hour parole to take oath as an MP, during which he reaffirmed his vision for a “Khalsa state”, drawing sharp rebukes from security agencies.

Bittu accused the AAP-led Punjab government for obstructing Singh’s parole application, which was submitted for the second time in as many weeks to allow him to participate in House proceedings.

“The Punjab government is deliberately denying parole to an elected representative. If Engineer Rashid from Jammu and Kashmir could be granted custody parole to attend sessions despite serious charges, why is the same facility not extended to Amritpal Singh? Who will raise the voice of Khadoor Sahib?” Bittu asked.

He drew parallels to Engineer Rashid, the MP from Baramulla who has attended House sessions on interim bail while facing terror-financing charges.

In a pointed effort to distance the BJP-led central government from the controversy, Bittu stressed that decisions related to parole under the NSA lie with the state authorities.

“The Centre is not holding Amritpal behind bars. It is the Punjab government’s responsibility. Accusations against the BJP are baseless – we respect democratic mandates, but security cannot be compromised,” he asserted.

This appears to absolve the Union Home Ministry, which oversees NSA implementations, of direct culpability, even as critics argue that the Act’s invocation in Singh’s case was a joint central-state operation.

A shift from past animosity

Bittu’s support marks a stark contrast to his previous rhetoric against Singh. During the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign from Ludhiana, he had described Singh as a threat to Punjab’s peace, saying, “People like Amritpal Singh won’t let peace-loving people live in Punjab.”

A scion of Punjab’s turbulent political history – he is the grandson of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, assassinated in 1995 by a Khalistani militant – Bittu has long positioned himself as a bulwark against separatism.

In a fiery Lok Sabha exchange in July 2024, he had defended the NSA as a tool against “radical forces” after Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi questioned its use in Punjab.

Bittu had earlier advocated the release of Bandi Singhs - Sikh political prisoners jailed since the days of terrorism in Punjab.

The minister’s pivot could signal a strategic move by the BJP to reclaim political ground in Punjab, where it has no seats in the 117-member state Assembly and continues to face anti-incumbency against the AAP regime.