Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat on Friday said there was no fact in reports stating that Captain Amarinder Singh was insulted by the party, adding that the former Punjab chief minister’s statement show that he is under “some sort of pressure”. Rawat also said that Captain should not help the BJP “directly on indirectly”.
Rawat, while addressing media today, said: “No facts in reports that state Captain Amarinder Singh was insulted by Congress. It appears from Captain’s recent statements that he is under some sort of pressure. He should rethink, and not help BJP directly or indirectly.”
“All that has been done by the Congress party till now is to protect the respect and dignity of Captain Amarinder Singh and increase the party’s chances (in 2022 assembly polls) in Punjab,” he added.
Rawat’s remarks come a day after Singh scotched speculation of his joining BJP but said he will quit the Congress, which he asserted was going downhill with senior leaders being ignored.
A day after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah which triggered speculation of his joining the BJP, Singh said he would leave the Congress as he had been “utterly humiliated” and was not trusted.
Terming the senior Congressmen as “thinkers”, who were critical to the future of the party, the former chief minister said the younger leadership should be promoted to implement the plans, which the senior leaders are best equipped to formulate. Unfortunately, the seniors are being “completely sidelined” which is not good for the party, he said in a statement.
Singh’s Twitter bio, which read “Army Veteran | Former Chief Minister Punjab | Continuing to serve the State”, has no mention of the Congress party. However, sources said he has not resigned from the Congress so far.
Speculations have been rife that Captain may either join hands with the BJP or float his own political outfit, given the fact that he has already announced he will fight to any extent to thwart the chief ministerial attempts by Navjot Singh Sidhu.