Farmers Movement Archive

Punjab: Captain Amarinder Singh berates Sonia Gandhi, her kids in 7-page resignation letter

CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh formally quit the Congress party and announced the name of his new political outfit – Punjab Lok Congress – on Tuesday. In a scathing seven-page resignation letter addressed to acting AICC president Sonia Gandhi, he accused the Gandhi family of a “midnight conspiracy” to oust him, adding that he was deeply hurt by Sonia’s conduct and that of her children Rahul and Priyanka. Describing Punjab PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu as an “acolyte of Pakistani deep state,” Amarinder raised the issue of how Sidhu was appointed to the top party post in Punjab despite his long stint in the BJP. He highlighted how Congress had allied with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and Nana Patole from the BJP and Revnath Reddy from the RSS had earlier been appointed as presidents of Maharashtra and Telangana party units, respectively. “Who is communal and who is therefore secular, it is for the people to judge,” he wrote. The former CM also described the former AICC incharge of Punjab affairs, Harish Rawat, as a “dubious individual.” Captain also alleged that many Congress MLAs and ministers were involved in illegal sand mining, adding that he would make the list of names public. Amarinder, who quit as the Punjab CM on July 28, described his anger and hurt on being subjected to the ignominy of a CLP meeting being convened in the dead of the night and that too through Twitter “at your and your children’s behest.” “I immediately realized that the intention was to belittle and humiliate this self-respecting old soldier. You called me at 10.15 am the next morning and asked me to resign. I did so without batting even an eyelid. However, the crude manner in which the whole operation was executed by the undertakers of the AICC left a very foul taste in the mouth,” he wrote, describing the move as a “third world emergency imposition kind of circus.” “Despite knowing me for the better part of my 52 years in public life and that too at a deeply personal level you never understood me or my character. You thought I was getting on in years and should be put to pasture. I am neither tired nor retired. I intend to soldier on and not fade away,” he added. ‘Cong MLAs, ministers involved in illegal mining’Accused of not acting against the sand mafia, Amarinder clarified, “As far as the issue of illegal sand mining was concerned, the offenders, unfortunately, were the substantive bulk of Congress MLAs and ministers, including an overwhelming number in the current government. One of my enduring regrets would remain as to why I did not take some of them to task. The thought that it would embarrass the party held me back. I do intend to make the list of these people public as this has been provided to me by the Govt of Punjab and state intelligence.” ‘NEARLY ALL PB MPs DIDN’T WANT SIDHU’Taking on Sidhu, Amarinder said he was patronised by Rahul and Priyanka and accused Sonia of turning a blind eye to his shenanigans. He also accused Harish Rawat, whom he described as “perhaps the most dubious individual I had the occasion to make the acquaintance of,” of aiding and abetting him. Highlighting that almost all the MPs from Punjab had unanimously advised against Sidhu’s elevation as the PPCC chief, Amarinder said he too had profound reservations due to the former cricketer’s ties with Pakistan. He wrote that Sidhu had publicly hugged the Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and prime minister Imran Khan, adding: “Khan and Bajwa are the people responsible for sending terrorists across the border to kill Indians. It may be noted that 82 of Punjabi soldiers have been martyred in Jammu and Kashmir since my government took over in 2017.” HIGHLIGHTS NEW GOVT’S INEXPERIENCE:Pointing out his experience of 10 years as a soldier and nine-and-a-half years as home minister of Punjab, Amarinder highlighted that Sonia had given control of the state to “inexperienced” people. “As the peace and security of my state and my country has always remained paramount in the priority of my things, I am quite concerned about the inexperienced hands you have handed over my state to,” he wrote and added: “It is beyond my comprehension as to how these inexperienced hands will handle the security situation in view of the massive influx of weapons you have handed over my state to.” ‘1ST TO OPPOSE FARM LAWS’Amarinder said he was the first to raise the issue of the Centre’s farm laws and called all farm unions for a meeting, then an all-party meeting, and convened a special legislative assembly session to rescind these enactments. “It is again I who supported and facilitated the farmers’ protests while simultaneously urging the Centre to lend a sympathetic ear to their just and genuine demands,” he said.

The Times of India

2021-11-03

Chandigarh