Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has criticised the functioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying he was not being consulted by the party, unlike the Congress.
Singh, a BJP leader, said it was easier to meet the Congress high command than the top leadership of the BJP. Congress, he said, used to consult its leaders and had "a more democratic system".
The former chief minister also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had "special affection for Punjab" and "would do anything for the state". He added that, although he had communicated his commitment to the BJP to the Prime Minister, he did not personally know many of thenational BJP leaders.
Singh said the BJP does not make its decisions public and all decisions are taken in Delhi without consulting leaders on the ground. "I am not being consulted by the BJP. I have 60 years of political experience but I cannot force myself on them," said Singh, a two-time CM.
Resigned from Congress in 2021
The 83-year-old leader urged the people of Punjab to consider the BJP for "stability", saying India's security and Punjab's interests were linked.
Singh resigned from the CM's post in September 2021 following infighting within the state unit of the Congress. After Charanjit Singh Channi became the chief minister of Congress, he quit the party and formed a new party, which later merged with the BJP in 2022.
Singh, a BJP leader, said he still felt hurt by the manner in which he was removed as chief minister, having previously been a member of the Congress. "The question of joining Congress does not arise," he said in an interview with PTI videos. However, he said he would always help Congress leader Sonia Gandhi if she asked, although "not politically".
Singh's remarks follow a political furore triggered by Navjot Kaur Sidhu's comment that anyone who "gives a suitcase of ₹500 crore" becomes the chief minister in Punjab.
Kaur is the wife of Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was the Punjab Congress president when Singh resigned as the chief minister. Sidhu was said to be in the race to be the CM after Singh, who had openly blamed the cricketer-turned-politician for friction in the party.
Speaking to PTI, Singh said Navjot Singh Sidhu and his wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, were both "unstable". He accused Navjot Kaur of lying, saying the Congress should remove her from the party.
Singh added that Sidhu should focus on cricket commentary, which he was good at. "Politics is not in his nature."
Singh said he understood the Congress "inside out" and claimed the party had nine chief ministerial aspirants in Punjab but no one had any future. The responsibility now lies with the BJP and SAD to form a strong government, he said.
