in former words Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, he has “hung his shoes” yet. This has given rise to several options the former army veteran could take to keep his political career alive when he resigned as Punjab chief minister on Saturday, citing “disgrace”.
Soon after tendering his resignation, Amarinder Singh accused Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu of having links with Pakistan and even called him “anti-national”. He also warned that his becoming the Chief Minister of Punjab would be a threat to India’s national security. .
Speaking to IANS, BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Hoshiarpur in Punjab and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in the Modi government, Som Prakash, said, “Congress has accepted that its government in Punjab has failed on all fronts by removing the chief minister.”
He also accused the Congress government of promoting mafia, corruption and illegal mining in the state.
But at the same time Som Prakash also said, “What Amarinder Singh is saying about Navjot Singh Sidhu is true and everyone knows it.”
To a question whether Captain would join the BJP, Union minister Som Prakash said, “Nobody knows what will happen in politics.” However, he said that the party high command has to take a decision on this.
BJP’s national spokesperson Sardar RP Singh said, “It is for Captain Sahab to decide whether his family is disillusioned with (Gandhi family) or not and what is the plan ahead.” He also said that if Amarinder Singh expresses his desire to join the BJP, then the party will take a decision at an appropriate time. It is too early to say anything now.”
After leaving the alliance of Akali Dal in Punjab, BJP is going to contest the assembly elections on its own for the first time.
The BJP currently does not have a strong face as the chief ministerial candidate in the state. Political observers also believe that associating with a leader like Amarinder Singh could benefit the BJP just as it did in Assam.
Meanwhile, Singh made it clear that he will explore and exercise his political options at an appropriate time.
The 79-year-old said he would decide his future political course of action in consultation with his supporters who stood by him for more than five decades. “There is always an option, and when the time comes, I will exercise that option… at the moment I am still in Congress,” he said after submitting his resignation.
“The only way Captain Amarinder can survive is to join some other party. Forming a new party will not be an easy task. His best bet may be the Bharatiya Janata Party. Captain Amarinder has a moderate image and is an acceptable leader among Hindus in Punjab. Ashutosh Kumar, a professor in the Department of Political Science, Panjab University, told The Hindu that he is targeting Navjot Singh Sidhu over his Pakistan connection, citing his military background, national security issues – all of which go well with the BJP line. matches with.
Experts agree that it is not easy to form a new party, but it is unlikely to help him if he does form a new party, though it will hurt the electoral prospects of the Congress.
Captain Amarinder Singh has threatened the Congress leadership or the high command in the past that he will break the party if he is not declared the chief ministerial candidate, especially in 2017.
Singh on Saturday ruled out quitting politics and said he has a lot of willpower as a soldier and will be active in the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab. “I’m not hanging my shoes,” he declared. .
He also dismissed the Congress leadership’s claims that they have lost the confidence of the MLAs, calling it a lame excuse. “Just a week ago, I sent Sonia Gandhi a list of 63 MLAs who were supporting me,” he said, adding that the legislators usually give the same answer they think Delhi wants, which is The Congress Legislature Party meeting also took place. He said that it is not possible to please all the MLAs under any circumstances.
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