Punjab Lok Congress chief Amaridner Singh on Monday predicted an “humiliating” defeat for Navjot Singh Sidhu from Amritsar East, saying the Punjab Congress chief had won the seat in the past only with BJP’s support. He also dubbed it a “tamasha”. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s announcement that the party’s chief minister’s post will be decided with grassroots inputs.
After filing his nomination papers from Patiala Urban and inaugurating his party office in the city, Singh called Sidhu’s allegation that he was fielding Bikram Singh Majithia against the state Congress chief by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). I was behind the takedown. “I don’t belong to Majithia. Uncle,” said the PLC leader, adding that in Amritsar East with 38 per cent Hindu voters and 32 per cent Scheduled Castes, Sidhu’s defeat was certain. He said the BJP has fielded a strong candidate from the constituency under alliance with PLC and Shiromani Akali Dal (United).
The SAD has fielded Majithia from the Amritsar East seat from where Sidhu is seeking re-election in the February 20 state assembly elections. On Rahul Gandhi’s statement that the Congress would announce its chief ministerial candidate in the state after taking inputs from the ground, Singh said it was just “dramatic”. He said that as per the procedure, people elect their MLAs and then the Congress MLA. The party decides about the Chief Minister.” So all these things are just drama. During a virtual rally in Jalandhar a few days ago, Gandhi had said that the Congress would go with the CM face in the Punjab Assembly elections, which would be announced after taking inputs from party workers.
On farmers’ decision to contest the upcoming assembly elections, Singh said it was their right to do so. Singh said that he has always personally supported farmers, and pointed out that his government had announced a job and Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each farmer killed during the agitation against agricultural laws.
He expressed confidence that the next government in Punjab would form a PLC-BJP-SAD joint alliance. He said in the party statement that four PLC candidates will contest the election on BJP’s symbol in urban areas, while two in rural areas will contest on PLC symbol.
As per the seat-sharing arrangement, BJP is contesting on 65 seats, PLC on 37 and SAD (Combined) on 15 seats.
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