Amarinder's exit will not affect the party: Congress
Darpan News Desk IANS, 20 Oct, 2021 10:58 AM
New Delhi, Oct 20 (IANS) Congress leaders on Wednesday said the exit of senior party leader and former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh -- who announced forming a new party -- will not affect the prospects of the Congress.
The issue was up for deliberation on Wednesday during the meeting between the party leaders and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Congress' Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat.
The Congress is currently preparing an estimation of the number of leaders who are likely to quit.
However, sources say that people close to Singh are unlikely to quit the party.
The Congress leaders are watching his moves ahead of the new party formation and sources say that all the Congress members have distanced themselves after he worked out a "patch up formula" with the BJP.
Congress' Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat said "his decision will not make any difference to Congress".
"The party's performance will depend on the work of the new chief minister (Charanjit Singh Channi), and he is doing well," Rawat added.
Talking about Amarinder Singh, the former Uttarakhand chief minister said "it seems that he has killed the secular Amarinder within him... and how can he forgive the BJP for keeping the farmers on Delhi borders since the last one year."
The Punjab unit has been asked to keep an eye on the movements of the rebels and to pacify them ahead of the elections and dissuade them from joining the former Chief Minister.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said "we have no fear... if Amarinder goes with the BJP, there must be some pressure on him."
Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said that he would soon announce the launch of his own political party to serve the interests of the people, including the farmers who have been fighting for their rights for almost a year now.
He said that he is hopeful of a seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP for next year's Assembly elections in the state, if the farmers' issues are resolved in their interest.
In a series of tweets, his media advisor Raveen Thukral quoted Amarinder Singh as saying: "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."
The security at Jantar Mantar road in the national capital has been beefed up by Delhi police as scores of farmers are scheduled to hold a protest there against the three Union farm laws on Thursday.
In a first show of solidarity and strength, Punjab Congress unit's newly-appointed President Navjot Singh Sidhu, accompanying 62 legislators, comprising many state Cabinet ministers, on Wednesday paid obeisance at the Golden Temple here.
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the Central government, saying that its wrong decision during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic killed 50 lakh people.
Breaking a long silence on issues ranging from local to national, former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday spoke on diverse issues like the present political crisis in Rajasthan and Punjab and also demanded a free probe on the phone tapping issue.
Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Wednesday said that it has arrested Raj Kumar Khatri, a suave cheat who duped a Canadian citizen of crores of rupees by passing himself as the owner of an upcoming five star hotel.
At least two mobile phone accounts used by Rahul Gandhi were among the 300 verified Indian numbers listed as potential targets by an official Indian client of the Israeli surveillance technology vendor, NSO Group, The Wire has reported.
