Capt in Delhi, rejects rumours of BJP meet
CHANDIGARH: A trip to the Capital by former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh triggered speculation on Tuesday that he was planning to meet senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders before the 79-year-old leader dismissed the rumours and clarified that he was in Delhi for personal reasons.
Singh, who arrived in Delhi in the evening, also criticised his arch-rival Navjot Singh Sidhu, who abruptly resigned as the Congress state unit chief, a little over two months after taking charge.
“I had been saying all along that this man is unstable and dangerous, and cannot be entrusted with the task of running Punjab,” he said, adding that Sidhu had also proved to be absolutely incompetent during his stint as a minister in his government.
The former chief minister’s aides also clarified that he was in Delhi on a personal visit and that no political meetings were scheduled.“i have come on a personal visit, with the main intent of vacating the Kapurthala House for the new CM,” he said.
Singh quit as the state’s chief minister on September 18 after months of protracted struggle with Sidhu over control of the party. His successor, Charanjit Singh Channi, was a close associate of Sidhu but appeared to have fallen out with the mercurial former cricketer over cabinet picks and key appointments over the past week.
Singh termed Sidhu’s resignation -- which appeared to have caught the Congress by surprise -- sheer drama, and said the move suggested that his former cabinet colleague was preparing the ground to quit the Congress and join hands with some other party in the run-up to the state assembly polls.
The former CM said the Congress high command should immediately accept Sidhu’s resignation and appoint a competent man in his place. When asked if he would back former state unit chief Sunil Jakhar for the job, Singh said: “He (Jakhar) is very competent and had performed exceeding well as the party chief.”
Jakhar, who made way for Sidhu two months ago, also criticised the former cricketer for his resignation.
The former CM told reporters that Punjab is a sensitive state, sharing over 600km of border with Pakistan.”i’ve know this boy since his childhood and he has been a loner and can never be a team player,” said Singh, recalling how the cricketer had left the Indian cricket team in 1996 during an England tour after differences with the then skipper Mohammad Azharuddin. “That’s what his real character is,” said the former CM.
Replying to a question that Sidhu was apparently upset with the inclusion of certain ministers in Channi’s cabinet, Singh said that Sidhu wanted to run the government by remote control. “What nonsense is this! Cabinet formation is the prerogative of the chief minister, so why should Sidhu interfere in it,” he asked.
On Sidhu’s claim that he was quitting as the party chief on matters of principle, the former CM said, “What principles is he talking about? He’s only making grounds to quit the Congress. You wait and see, he will join hands with some other party very soon.”