“Will soon announce the formation of my own political party to serve the interests of Punjab and its people, including our farmers who have been fighting for survival for over a year,” Amarinder Singh’s aide tweeted.
After resigning as Punjab Chief Minister last week, Amarinder Singh announced on Tuesday that he would form a new political party and consider “seat arrangements” with the BJP and breakaway Akali factions ahead of the 2019 Punjab assembly elections. When Mr Singh met with Union Minister Amit Shah, there was much speculation about whether they would join forces, but Mr Singh stated that they had only discussed the farmers’ protest.
Former Chief Minister Raveen Thukral stated on Tuesday evening, “Will soon announce the launch of my own political party to serve the interests of Punjab & its people, including our farmers who’ve fought for survival for over a year.”
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It’s unclear whether Mr Singh has officially left the Congress. When asked about the situation, the party’s central leadership declined to comment, stating, “I had already stated that the Captain is allied with Akali Dal and the BJP, and that he used to receive his agenda from the BJP.”
His resignation came after more than four decades with the Congress, where he was the party’s most powerful mass leader in Punjab. He admitted that the Congress “humiliated” him during his long and bitter feud with Navjot Singh Sidhu and some of the party’s MLAs, which led to his resignation in September.
He stated at the time that he still believed he had political clout and was open to other possibilities.
There is always an option, and when the time comes, I will use it, he said, adding that he would consult with “friends” before making any decisions about his future. When asked if his age was an impediment, he replied, “You can be 40 and young at 80.”
The long-serving Congressman, who was well-known to a Gandhi family ally, was also critical of the party’s current leader.
I was ready to leave when we won, but not when we lost… I would have resigned if she (Sonia Gandhi) had simply called and asked. “As a soldier, I know how to do my job,” he had stated earlier in the conversation.
Mr. Singh took to Twitter after meeting Amit Shah in late September to say the two had discussed the “prolonged farmers’ agitation against Farm Laws.” As a result, the minister was urged to “resolve the crisis as soon as possible by repealing laws and guaranteeing MSP.”
