As the political situation continues to unravel in Punjab, members of Parliament (MPs) may be trying to evaluate their response to former Chief Minister Captain (retd.) Amarinder Singh’s assertion that he is determined to float his own party.
With more than two and half years left for the next Lok Sabha elections, the decision may be easy for some while others may have a more difficult choice to make.
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Capt. Amarinder’s wife and Lok Sabha member from Patiala is one such MP and so are Mohammad Sadique and Manish Tewari, both close to the former Punjab Chief Minister.
With Punjab’s Hindu population between 38% and 40%, the BJP would be keen to have on board a Hindu face like Mr. Tewari to reach out to an urban Hindu electorate including forward castes such as Brahmins.
Any decision, however, is incumbent on the Centre resolving the issue of the three contentious farm laws to the satisfaction of the farmers’ unions.
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Sources told The Hindu that Capt. Amarinder has reached out to some of his former colleagues. However, none is said to have committed to joining his party or the BJP.
But independent of the Captain’s plans, leaders belonging to traditional Congress families are upset with the new order in Punjab, with Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu being considered as “newcomers” who have pipped the old guard.
And this includes leaders like Partap Singh Bajwa and Ravneet Singh Bittu.
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“Mr. Sidhu spent 14 years in the BJP and now he is our party president. Mr. Channi joined the party in 2012 and is now the CM. Manpreet Badal, who has been an Akali leader for most of his political life is our Finance Minister,” pointed out a leader who didn’t wish to be named.
These developments have come alongside Capt. Amarinder’s dismissal of media reports that he is engaged in back channel talks with the Congress high command.
“I will soon launch my own party and will hold talks for seat sharing with @BJP4India, breakaway Akali factions and others for the Punjab elections in 2022, once farmers’ issue is resolved. I want to build a strong collective force in the interest of Punjab and its farmers,” Mr. Singh had said on Saturday
