By Satinder Bains
CHANDIGARH: It was an unceremonial end of the sparkling political career of Capt Amarinder Singh now former Chief Minister of Punjab. Cornered and humiliated, he was forced to resign from his post at the fag end of his five year tenure as Chief Minister of border state of Punjab.
He might not have faced such an embarrassment in his 52 years old political career though he has seen many ups and downs. A stalwart in state politics, Captain Amarinder Singh seemed visibly hurt when in first interaction with media after resignation he underlined his family relations with Gandhi family and a close friendship with former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi and his wife Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, AICC president.
What shocked the former Chief Minister, was the sudden call by AICC to MLAs to come for an emergency meeting of CLP without even informing the CM. " I feel humiliated by the Congress party", he told the media immediately after resignation. He was quoted as saying that he was twice called by high command to Delhi which was not in good taste.
PPCC president Navjot Sidhu is understood to have played a major role in the ouster of Capt Amarinder Singh. It was on his inputs that party high command decided to sideline Capt Amarinder Singh. Sidhu had reportedly told the party high command about Amarinder's proximity with BJP and he played the BJP card in Punjab to help the saffron party and their allies Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD). Though BJP and SAD have separated from each other but they are still hand in glove to grab the power. The statements issued by Captain Amarinder Singh on terrorism threat in Punjab were in line with BJP strategy.
Captain Amarinder Singh has sounded an alert in Punjab citing smuggling of arms and drugs from Pakistan side. The recent incident of police lathi charge on farmers in Moga is also cited as an example that Captain Amarinder Singh was trying to create an atmosphere of uncertainty in Punjab to help SAD and BPJ.
Sidhu had also informed the party high command about the mining mafia, drug mafia and transport mafia flourishing under Capt Amarinder Singh and he also patronising the Badal family. He was also accused of handing over the administration to retired bureaucrat Suresh Kumar who was close to the Badal family. Captain also appointed DGP Dinkar Gupta and his wife Vini Mahajan as Chief Secretary to oblige BJP. Most of Congress ministers had complained that the government was being run by Suresh Kumar and Vini Mahajan bypassing the ministers. Suresh Kumar was Principal secretary of former CM Parkash Singh Badal.
The count down of Capt Amarinder Singh had begun with the appointment of Navjot Sidhu as PPCC president and a 18 point charter given to Capt Amarinder Singh to implement in two months, Capt Amarinder Singh had failed to implement the charter and rather allowed protests by government employees all over the state so that SAD and BJP could cash on anti-incumbency.
The relations of Capt Amarinder Singh with a Pakistan woman was also one of the issues Sidhu understood to have raised with the party high command. Arusa Alam had stayed with Capt Amarinder Singh for over three years on a long visa granted by the BJP government at center on the recommendations of SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
What next for Captain Amarinder Singh? He has only one choice to join BJP and this is what he is going to do in the run for 2022 assembly elections, said political observers.