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‘Rapprochement time over’: Captain rejects ‘back-end talks’ with Congress
Amarinder Singh reiterated that he will soon launch his political party and said he wanted to build “a strong collective force in the interest of Punjab”.
Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday dismissed reports of “back-end talks” with the Congress, saying that the time for rapprochement was over and his decision to leave the party was final.
Singh reiterated that he will soon launch his political party and said he wanted to build “a strong collective force in the interest of Punjab”.
Punjab goes to polls early next year.
“Reports of back-end talks with @INCIndia are incorrect. The time for rapprochement is over. The decision to part ways with the party was taken after much thought and is final. I’m grateful to (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi ji for her support but will not stay in Congress now,” Singh’s media advisor, Raveen Thukral, quoted him as saying in a Twitter post.
Singh was reacting to some media reports he was engaged in some backchannel talks with senior Congress leaders, who want him to stay in the party.
“I will soon launch my own party and will hold talks for seat sharing with @BJP4India (BJP), breakaway Akali factions and others for the Punjab (assembly) elections in 2022 once farmers’ issue is resolved. I want to build strong collective force in interest of Punjab and its farmers,” Singh said.
Singh resigned as the Punjab CM on September 18, after a bitter tussle with state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu amid infighting in the state party unit. The Congress later picked Sikh-Dalit leader Charanjit Singh Channi as the CM. Singh later said he was quitting the Congress — a day after a meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah though he described the interaction as a “courtesy call”.
On October 24, the former chief minister said he would launch his new political party as and when the Election Commission clears the name and the symbol. He had also slammed the Congress while claiming that many people from the party are in touch with him. On October 19, Singh was quoted as saying by Thukral that he planned to soon announce his political party, and was hopeful of sealing a seat arrangement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if the farmers’ issue was resolved.
HT was the first to report on October 2 that this development on the cards.
Farmers from all across the country, mainly from the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act passed by Parliament last year.
