In what is being seen as Capt Amarinder Singh’s decision to break away from the party he served for decades, the former Punjab Chief Minister on Wednesday announced his decision to pitch a strong candidate against “Super CM” Navjot Singh Sidhu.
His assertion came almost simultaneously with a tweet from his OSD saying, “Reverting Back in a Big Bang,” with Capt Amarinder’ picture and superimposed caption — Capt 2022.
Virtually raising a banner of revolt, Amarinder criticised Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi for their “inexperience”, adding “their advisers are misguiding them”.
Also taking a dig at Sidhu & Company over charges of no action against the Badals and SAD leader Bikram Majithia, Amarinder challenged them to “throw the Akalis leaders behind bars if they can”.
At the same time, he came down heavily on his bête noire Sidhu for “interfering” in his successor Charanjit Singh Channi’s domain by “dictating the terms”.
Not sparing even Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi, Amarinder declared that he had offered to quit as Punjab CM three weeks back she had asked him to continue.
Declaring that he would only leave politics on a high, Amarinder declared that he would fight Sidhu’s elevation to Punjab chief ministership tooth and nail, and was ready to make any sacrifice to save the country from such a “dangerous man”.
Rebelling against his own party, Amarinder reiterated his earlier stand to counter any move to make Sidhu the State’s Chief Ministerial face. “I will pit a strong candidate against the PPCC president in the 2022 Assembly polls to ensure his defeat. He is dangerous for the State,” Amarinder added.
Notably, the former CM, at the time when Sidhu was continuously taking on Capt Amarinder led government over several issues and taking into account his increased political activities in Patiala city, had challenged him to contest polls against him in his home constituency - Patiala urban.
Amarinder, making clear his intentions of not bidding a goodbye to politics considering current circumstances, said that he had earlier offered to quit but was asked to continue.
“I was ready to leave after victory but never after a loss,” he said. “If she had just called me and asked me to step down, I would have,” he said, adding that “as a soldier, I know how to do my task and leave once I am called back”.
Amarinder said he had even told Sonia that he was ready to hang his boots and allow someone else to take over as Chief Minister after leading the Congress to another sweeping win in Punjab. “But that did not happen, so I will fight,” he asserted, taking strong exception to being subjected to humiliation by calling a CLP in a secretive manner, without taking him into confidence.
Expressing unhappiness with the turn of events that led to his dethroning by convening a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, Capt Amarinder said: “I would not have taken MLAs on a flight to Goa or some place. That is not how I operate. I don’t do gimmicks, and the Gandhi siblings know that is not my way,” he said, adding, “Priyanka and Rahul (Gandhi siblings) are like my children…this should not have ended like this. I am hurt.”
Amarinder, mincing now words, said that the Gandhi children were quite inexperienced and their advisors were clearly misguiding them.
Indicating that he was still keeping his political options open, the 79-year-old said that he was talking to his friends before deciding on his future course of action. “You can be old at 40 and young at 80,” he quipped, making it clear that he did not see his age as a hurdle.
Ridiculing the way Punjab was being run from Delhi now, Capt Amarinder expressed shock at the way things were happening.
Pointing out that as the Chief Minister, he had called the shots and appointed his own Ministers, as he knew the capability of each of them, he questioned how Congress leaders like Venugopal or Ajay Maken or Randeep Surjewala could decide who is good for which Ministry.
“Our religion teaches us that all are equal. I don’t look at people based on their caste, it’s about their efficiency,” he said, in an obvious reference to the caste considerations that had dictated the choice of the new leadership in the State.