Amarinder Singh resigns from Congress, forms Punjab Lok Congress

Ground Report | New Delhi: Amarinder Singh resigns from Congress; Former Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh have resigned from the Congress party on Tuesday. He had been speaking openly about his political future ever since he recently left the chief minister's chair.

He had already made it clear that he would form his new party and prevent Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu from winning at any cost. The power struggle between Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu was going on in the Punjab Congress for a long time.

In this struggle, the Congress party finally made Navjot Singh Sidhu the President of the Punjab Congress. After the resignation of Captain Amarinder Singh, the Congress appointed Charanjit Singh Channi as the new Chief Minister of the state.

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But even after this, the round of heated rhetoric continued on both sides. Till last September 27, Navjot Singh Sidhu called Captain Amarinder Singh devoted to the BJP and controlled by the Enforcement Directorate as the Chief Minister.

Amarinder Singh resigns from Congress

“I have today sent my resignation to @INCIndia President Ms Sonia Gandhi ji, listing my reasons for the resignation. ‘Punjab Lok Congress’ is the name of the new party. The registration is pending approval with the @ECISVEEP. The party symbol will be approved later," Amarinder Singh said on Twitter.

Captain Amarinder Singh has issued his resignation on his Twitter account, in which he has explained the reasons for his resignation. Along with this, he has also revealed the name of his new party. The name of the new party will be 'Punjab Lok Congress'.

In the letter, Captain Amarinder Singh wrote, "I actually felt deeply hurt by your conduct and that of your children who I still deeply love as much as my own children, having known their father, since we were in school together since 1954, which is for 67 years now."

He also referred to Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu as "an acolyte of the Pakistani deep state" and Congress party's general secretary in charge of Punjab, Harish Rawat, as "perhaps the most dubious individual" he made the acquaintance of.

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In his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, Singh said Sidhu's only claim to fame was that he would abuse him and his government. "He was patronised by Rahul and Priyanka, while you chose to turn a blind eye to shenanigans of this gentleman who was aided and abetted by Harish Rawat, perhaps most dubious individual," the former chief minister said. 

calls Sidhu 'Pakistani acolyte

After resigning as the chief minster, he said he felt humiliated at the way the party high command had treated him. Singh, one of the Congress' powerful regional satraps, put in his papers after speaking to party president Sonia Gandhi and shortly before a crucial meeting of the Congress Legislature Party.

Singh also wrote that the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came "close to dismissing" his government in 2005 after he "shepherded" a bill through the state assembly in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on the "Waters" issue.

"Despite my profound reservations and over the unanimous advice of almost all the MPs from Punjab, you chose to appoint an acolyte of the Pakistani deep state Navjot Sidhu who had publicly hugged the Pakistan Army Chief Gen Bajwa and Prime Minister Imran Khan, as the President of the Punjab Congress Committee," Amarinder Singh wrote in his resignation letter. He also referred to Sidhu as a "person of unstable mind" in the letter.

Singh goes on to add, "Unfortunately, rather than being reined in, he was patronised by Rahul and Priyanka, while you chose to turn a blind eye to the shenanigans of this gentleman who was aided and abetted by the General Secretary in-charge Harish Rawat, perhaps the most dubious individual I had the occasion to make acquaintance off."

Referring to the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting called behind his back that led to his resignation, Amarinder Singh said the act left a "foul taste" in his mouth. "I am neither tired nor retired," he writes, adding, "I intend to soldier on and not fade away."

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