New Delhi: Capt Amarinder Singh's Remarks Spark Buzz On Possible Return To Congress Fold
It was “nice" of Gandhi to speak positively about him and pointed to the longstanding ties between the two families: Capt. Singh
New Delhi: Political windmills in Punjab are abuzz with speculation of Punjab former chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh re-joining his old party, the Congress.
The latest utterances of Capt. Singh on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "dimagi Naxals" remarks, wherein he asked what exactly the term meant and how one distinguished those branded as such from people exercising legitimate democratic dissent, have the rumour mills buzzing. Earlier, Capt. Singh had also written an editorial in which he said that "Modi-ism must now evolve from leader-centred mobilisation into institution-centred nation-building".
In June, while speaking to a news outlet, Capt. Singh had said, “(Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi wished me on my birthday and even conveyed his condolences on hearing about my brother’s demise while no one from BJP even bothered to reach out. This clearly reflects his character, upbringing and culture."
Last month, Gandhi named Capt. Singh as his favourite BJP politician. “I get along with him; he is cool. He is an expert on military history. Hello, Amarinder uncle," he said during an Instagram “Ask Me Anything" session when asked about his favourite BJP leader.
Responding a day later, Capt. Singh said it was “nice" of Gandhi to speak positively about him and pointed to the longstanding ties between the two families.
The former Punjab chief minister said he had known Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra since their childhood and recalled that their father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, had been his classmate and friend. He said: "Personal relationships and political commitments are kept separate in many parts of the world, but not in India. While his personal and family ties with Mr Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi would always remain." He then added that he is politically committed to the BJP.
Congress insiders, however, claimed that a senior party leader, who is a former chief minister from a North Indian state and is close to both Capt. Singh and the Congress leadership, was mediating since the last couple of months in getting the old warhorse back in the party fold.
Several proposals are on the table regarding Capt. Singh's reentry. People in the know say that Capt. Singh will have to be accommodated in the party as per his seniority. The exact contours of the final proposal are still under consideration.
Capt. Singh had resigned from the Congress in September 2021 after he had stepped down from the post of CM. He had a bitter spat with the then Congress state unit chief Navjot Singh Siddhu. He had also said that the advisers of the Gandhi siblings were misguiding them. In the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections the Congress lost Punjab to the AAP. Siddhu also drifted away from the party and politics, eventually resigning from the party.
