Over a week after resigning as Punjab chief minister citing ‘humiliation’ by the Congress leadership, Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence in Delhi. The meeting has once again sparked speculations about the senior Congress leader joining the BJP.
On Tuesday, Captain’s media adviser Raveen Thukral had refuted media reports claiming that the former may meet some BJP leaders during his Delhi visit. Thukral had said that Singh was visiting the national capital to meet some his friends and vacate the Kapurthala house for the newly appointed chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
After resigning as the Punjab CM, Singh had refused to answer questions on him joining the BJP, but had indicated he was still keeping his political options open, adding that he was talking to his friends before deciding on his future course of action.
After resigning, Amarinder Singh had said he felt “humiliated”. Later, he had also called Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra “inexperienced”. He had also dubbed Sidhu as “anti-national” and “dangerous”, saying he would pit a strong candidate against the state party chief in the upcoming assembly polls.
On Tuesday, ahead of Singh arriving in Delhi, several media reports had claimed that Singh might meet Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda, fuelling speculations that the sulking Congress leader may switch sides with the BJP.
Zee Media had quoted sources saying that Singh may be inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers as Union Agriculture Minister. They also said that the BJP might help him float his own party in case Captain refuses to join the saffron party.
Incidentally, Singh has not spoken anything against the BJP in interviews he gave after tendering resignation on September 18. Combined with this, the BJP’s strong defence of Captain has raised speculation in political circles whether the former CM will be joining the saffron party.