Capt Amarinder quits Congress, accuses Sonia of midnight conspiracy

Announces formation of Punjab Lok Congress after seven-page resignation letter to Congress president, saying he was deeply hurt by her and her children’s conduct

Former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday resigned from the Congress and announced the formation of his new party, Punjab Lok Congress.

Former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh said he felt deeply hurt by Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s conduct and that of her children who he still loved as much as his own children, having known their father, since they were in school together in 1954. (HT file photo)

In a seven-page resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the two-time former chief minister said the midnight conspiracy carried out against him at her and her children’s behest by calling a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting over his head at the dead of the night and that too through Twitter was the most “egregious” act. “It was my prerogative as the CLP leader to have called the meeting if the AICC desired it. It was only early next morning that a colleague informed me that such an outrageous act has been committed,” he wrote.

Capt Amarinder Singh said he felt deeply hurt by her conduct and that of her children who he still loved as much as his own children, having known their father, since they were in school together in 1954.

“…I hope that no other senior Congressperson is subjected to the ignominy that I was put through,” he wrote, listing in detail his achievements, particularly his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Concerned about state in inexperienced hands

Capt Amarinder Singh was made to resign as the Punjab chief minister on September 18 after a bitter tussle with Navjot Singh Sidhu amid infighting in the state Congress. The party later picked Charanjit Singh Channi as the next chief minister of the state.

The former CM wrote that he was quite concerned about the inexperienced hands in which the state was given. “It is beyond my comprehension as how these inexperienced hands will handle the security situation in view of the massive influx of weapons and explosives and narcotics. We are gravely threatened by narco-terrorism that our hostile neighbour is sponsoring against us,” he said.

Formal launch of party, symbol later

On his new party, Capt Amarinder Singh said the registration of the party was pending approval with the Election Commission of India. “Since I announced that I will be forming my own party, my team of lawyers is working on the process and had applied to the Election Commission of India for the registration,” he said.

He said the Election Commission had no objection to the proposed name, Punjab Lok Congress. About the party symbol, he said the EC had given three symbols from which one was to be chosen. “We have submitted three symbols and the final one will be chosen from the set of six, three suggested by the EC and three proposed by the party,” he said, adding, “The party will be formally launched later and its policies, programmes, agenda and vision will be spelt out at the time of the launch.”