Clearing air on the speculations of the former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh contesting the parliamentary polls from Amritsar, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said that the Rajya Sabha MP was “never in the reckoning”.
Capt Amarinder categorically rejected the reports that the Congress may field him from Amritsar in May 19 elections.
He described his meeting with the former Prime Minister in Delhi on Sunday as a courtesy call, during which he briefed him about Congress' plans in Punjab.
“The former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was never in the reckoning for candidature as he had made it clear that he was not interested in contesting elections,” he said.
Notably, Capt Amarinder, along with the party’s in-charge for Punjab affairs Asha Kumari and state Congress president Sunil Jakhar had met Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Sunday. Reportedly, the trio reached out to the two-time Prime Minister and urged him to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar to boost the party’s poll campaign in Punjab.
Sources maintained that Dr Manmohan Singh did not respond positively citing health concerns and age.
Asha Kumari, after the party’s screening committee’s meeting on Sunday, maintained that the leaders have proposed the name of former Prime Minister in the meeting for the Amritsar seat.
The Amritsar seat is currently held by the Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla who won the 2017 bye-election. In 2014 election, BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley contested from Amritsar and lost to Congress's Capt Amarinder Singh who went on to become Punjab Chief Minister in 2017.
Notably, the 86-year-old had also been offered to contest from Amritsar in 2009 too, but he declined the request on account of poor health.
A Rajya Sabha member since 1991 from Assam, Dr Singh’s term is set to end on June 14. The two-time PM has never won Lok Sabha elections. The only time he contested was in 1999, when he lost to the BJP's VK Malhotra from South Delhi.
NO ALLIANCE WITH ANYONE
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday any alliance talks with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or any other party for May 19 polls in the state.
“The Congress did not need any alliance in Punjab, nor was it in talks with any party on the same,” said Capt Amarinder in response to a question while talking informally with mediapersons after meeting Raj Kumar Verka, chairman of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation, at his office. Verka was appointed as the chairman of the Corporation last week and he took charge of his office on Friday.
Asked to comment on AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s statement that talks for alliance in Punjab were in progress, the Chief Minister said that though he was not aware of such a statement, the Congress did not need any allies in Punjab.
Exuding massive confidence about the Congress prospects in the parliamentary elections, the Chief Minister said that the party was gung-ho about these polls, as was evident from the fact that it had chosen Ahmedabad — the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi—for the CWC meeting.
This clearly showed the level of enthusiasm in the party, which was literally ready to take the BJP by its horns, he added.
In response to a question on the Punjab Congress candidates, Capt Amarinder said that the next meeting was likely to be held in Delhi around the end of this week. “There is no hurry,” he said, pointing out that the polling date was more than two months away, giving the party lot of time to select its .Asked to comment on the time lag in the polling date for Punjab, Capt Amarinder said that it was the Election Commission’s prerogative and he could not, therefore, say anything on the issue.
Asked about the party’s star campaigner in the State, the Chief Minister said that it was up to the Congress high command to decide the names of the key campaigners for the party in these elections.
On whether the IAF air strikes across the LoC would prove beneficial to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, the Chief Minister said that with Indian soldiers continuing to be killed every day, the air strikes had clearly not proved to be a deterrent so far against Pak-backed attacks on India.
“No attempts should be made to politicise the Indian forces. The Armed Forces are apolitical and are above the petty considerations of caste, religion and political affiliations,” he said.
Capt Amarinder expressed happiness at the fact that the Kartarpur Corridor project had remained on track despite the recent tensions at the border. “Islamabad has also clarified that the latest events will not have any adverse effect on the project,” he pointed out with satisfaction, adding that the Corridor was something that people on both sides wanted.
