Won’t take every leader Congress dumps…winnability key: Amarinder Singh

After inaugurating his office, Amarinder had reiterated that his party will have a seat sharing formula with BJP and Dhindsas soon.

Replying to a question on inducting people from the Congress, Singh said, “We will take people who can fit in our ideology and the way they are with us. It is not that we will induct those who are dumped by the Congress. We will see…My criterion will be winnability of a candidate. I will try to request the BJP and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa’s party to have only winnable candidates so that we all support the candidate strongly. After all, we three have the common mission — to win Punjab.”

“(Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh) Sidhu is saying he will change faces (candidates) in 35 seats and does it mean that we will take them all. No,” he said.

On whether he would be the CM face of the new alliance, he said, “It is too soon to say anything. I will first have a meeting with BJP president J P Nadda and BJP elections incharge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat soon. We will work everything out.”

Amarinder, who was accompanied by his son Raninder Singh and daughter Jai Inder Kaur, was asked if Raninder Singh would contest elections. He replied, “It will be up to him to decide but he will be the organisation man of my party. He will sit in this office and run it.”

He said the membership drive of his new outfit began 10 days ago. The new office, meanwhile, was thrown open in the absence of any prominent political faces, including Amarinder’s wife and Congress MP Preneet Kaur.

Two ex-MLAs including, Prem Mittal from Ludhiana and Harjinder Singh Thekedar from Amritsar, and Patiala Mayor Sanjiv Sharma Bittu were seen at his inauguration function. Besides Amarinder’s aides, former advisors Lt Gen TS Shergill (retd), BIS Chahal, Vimal Sumbly, Major Amardeep Singh Natt, were also present.

Amarinder said that senior political leaders were in touch with him but will be seen with him after the code of conduct comes into place. “We do not want them to lose their grants. Look at what has happened to me in Patiala. All our grants have been stopped,” he said.

“We are hopeful that we will win this election. There shouldn’t be any doubts. We will form the government in 2022 Assembly election.”

He said he has received positive feedback from both urban and rural areas on his party.

“Feedback from the field tells us that people are very positive about our party, both from rural and urban areas,” said the former CM, adding: “Time does not matter. Leaders who will be fighting have experience. In two weeks, code will come into place. Then everything will be clear.”

On whether people of Punjab will accept BJP when the farmers were still protesting, he said: “Law has been made, President has signed it. The PM is making a committee on MSP. Tomar said in Parliament that PM is forming a committee and asked them that they should give their five members. By God’s grace, it has come to this stage.”

Attacking Channi, Amarinder said: “Corruption has increased in the past two months in the state.”

He also accused the state government of doing “dramas” over welfare works and claimed that under him, a majority of poll promises were fulfilled.

“They are just doing dramas. They very well know that nothing is going to happen and in just two weeks, the model code of conduct will come into force,” he said.

To a question on illegal sand mining, Amarinder Singh said he had set up a special task force to check it when he was the CM.

“Yesterday, it was found in the CM’s constituency,” the former CM said referring to the illegal mining claimed by AAP in Chamkaur Sahib. To a question on the special task force report on the drug menace, he said it was up to the Channi government to take a call on making the report public.

On the desecration issue, he said when he was the CM, he had set up a special task force to investigate these cases. “These cases are proceeding. I have done my duty. What happens in the high court and district court, it is for the Punjab government to push the HC to request it (for quick disposal of the case),” he said.

Taking on the Aam Aadmi Party, the former CM questioned why AAP MLAs were quitting the party even when it claimed to be strong on the ground.

(WITH PTI INPUTS)