Amarinder Singh to launch own party, open to seat arrangement with BJP; Punjab minister slams ex-CM

Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday said he would soon announce his own political party and is hopeful of a seat arrangement with the BJP if the farmers’ issue is resolved in their interest. Amarinder resigned as chief minister of Punjab last month after a bitter feud with Navjot Singh Sidhu and infighting in the state Congress. The party replaced him with Charanjit Singh Channi. “The battle for Punjab’s future is on. Will soon announce the launch of my own political party to serve the interests of Punjab and its people, including our farmers who’ve been fighting for their survival for over a year,” Amarinder said Tuesday. He also said he will not rest until he secures the future of “my people and my state”. “Punjab needs political stability and protection from internal and external threats. I promise my people I will do what it takes to ensure its peace and security, which is today at stake,” he was quoted as saying by his media adviser.

“Hopeful of a seat arrangement with BJP in 2022 Punjab Assembly polls if farmers’ protest is resolved in farmers’ interest. Also looking at alliance with like-minded parties such as breakaway Akali groups, particularly Dhindsa and Brahmpura factions,” Amarinder said. Reacting to Amarinder’s announcement, Pargat Singh on Tuesday slammed the former Punjab chief minister, as per NDTV . “I had said all along that Captain is in bed with the BJP and Akali Dal. He used to get his agenda from the BJP,” Pargat claimed. As per India Today , Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat said the Congress believed the former chief minister followed secular principles but they were mistaken. Rawat said the Congress values his contribution and does not want to throw him out after so many years. “If he thinks the BJP is good, then he can go. We can’t do this to him because he was with us for so long and he shouldn’t say that Congress did this to me after so long,” Rawat said. This development comes just days after Amarinder voiced his support for the Centre’s decision to extend the BSF’s jurisdiction in Punjab. “Let’s not drag the central armed forces into politics,” Amarinder had said. That led to Pargat accusing the senior leader of having a role behind the move. Dubbing his statement “unfortunate”, Pargat, a former Indian hockey team captain, said, “He acts like he is with the BJP.” “What does Captain sahab (Amarinder) want to prove. I have always said that he is with the BJP,” he said Pargat also made a reference to Amarinder’s recent visit to Delhi where he met Union home minister Amit Shah. “When he had gone earlier, he got paddy procurement delayed, now he has done this mischief getting the Centre to extend BSF’’s jurisdiction,” he alleged. “Captain sahab, please do not do this. We respect you but do not get all this done after mixing up with the BJP,” Pargat said. Amarinder later hit back at Pargat, saying that this was the height of irresponsibility from a state minister. “You and @sherryontopp (Navjot Sidhu) are clearly birds of the same feather, with nothing better to do than cook up ridiculous stories for cheap publicity..,” the former chief minister’s media advisor quoted him as saying in a tweet. Amarinder also took a dig at senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, who in response to being asked to comment on the former chief minister supporting the Centre’s move, reportedly said why did Amarinder not write to the Centre earlier to increase BSF’s jurisdiction limit from 15 km to 50 km. “How ridiculous! You mean I’m dictating @HMO (Union Home Ministry) decisions now not just in Punjab but also in Gujarat, WB (West Bengal), Assam, etc,” Amarinder asked Surjewala. “A person who couldn’t win an election in his own state (Haryana) has frankly no right to speak on national issues,” the former chief minister said. The Punjab unit of the Congress has been in in turmoil since  Amarinder was removed as chief minister  with  factionalism in the party coming to the fore. And when  Amarinder joined Amit Shah for a 30-minute meeting, speculations of him quitting Congress to join BJP began. But Amarinder had denied any such speculation, saying I am not joining the BJP " and adding that he is not a person who takes split second decisions. Amarinder, since then, has repeatedly attacked Congress saying that it is a “panic-stricken” party, which was grappling with internal chaos, was trying hard to shift the blame of its own failures. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala  had claimed that 78 party legislators had sought Amarinder’s ouster in a letter to the Central leadership. To which he retorted, “It seems the entire party has become imbued with Navjot Singh Sidhu’s sense of comic theatrics.” With inputs from PTI