No intention to continue in Congress, but not joining BJP: Amarinder
Darpan News Desk IANS, 30 Sep, 2021 10:48 AM
New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS) Scotching speculation to the contrary, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday made it clear he was not joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but had no intention of continuing in the Congress either, which he said was going downhill with senior leaders completely ignored and not given a voice.
Denying any move to join the BJP, Captain Amarinder Singh said he would leave the Congress where he had been utterly humiliated and was not trusted.
"I will resign, will not stay in the party," he said, adding that he was still thinking through his options in the interest of Punjab, whose security was the predominant priority for him.
"I will not be treated in this humiliating manner. I will not take such insults," he said, adding that his principles and beliefs do not allow him to stay in the Congress.
Terming the senior Congressmen as the thinkers, who were critical to the future of the party, the former Chief Minister said the younger leadership should be promoted to implement the plans, which the senior leaders are best equipped to formulate.
Unfortunately, the seniors were being completely sidelined, he said, adding this was not good for the party. He also condemned the attack on Kapil Sibal's house by Congress workers only because he had chosen to express views that were not palatable to the party leadership.
Expressing hope that Punjab would vote for the future of the state, he said his experience showed that the people of Punjab tend to vote for a single party or force, irrespective of the number of parties in the fray.
Misgovernance in Punjab would give Pakistan the opportunity to create trouble in the state and in the country, he said, adding that his meeting with NSA Ajit Doval this morning focused around this issue.
Captain Amarinder had raised security concerns with Home Minister Amit Shah too, along with the farmers' issue, during his meeting with the latter on Wednesday.
Taking a dig at those who undermine the growing Pakistani threat in Punjab, he said that such people were playing into the hands of anti-India forces by being in denial mode. "They (Pak-backed elements) are killing our soldiers every day, they are pushing weapons into the state through drones. How can we overlook these dangers," he added.
Reiterating his opinion on Navjot Singh Sidhu, Captain Amarinder described him as a mere crowd puller who does not know how to carry his team along.
Pointing out that he had personally worked with many PCC chiefs, besides himself being one, he said he always resolved issues amicably, without indulging in theatrics like Sidhu.
The petitioner said the state had passed the Punjab Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act of 2006 but it has never implemented it in case of appointment in judicial services.
In the run up to the assembly polls scheduled early next year, the BJP Punjab unit has launched several campaigns to strengthen its organisational structure at ground level. Sharma said that work is progressing at good pace for formation of a 21-member committee at each polling booth.
According to Sidhu, the department has issued sanctions under five phases for purchasing the straw management machines with subsidies ranging from 50 to 80 per cent.
On Tuesday, the Delhi Police had said that they have busted a Pakistan-based terror module and arrested six persons, including two people -- Zeeshan and Javed -- who were trained in Pakistan.
According to the police, the accused, Raju Chaudhary, who was arrested from Jammu has revealed during the interrogation that Wazir was shot dead on September 3 and four more people were present at the time of the incident. A police official informed that former NC leader, Wazir, was also given sedatives before being killed.
