Hummingbird News Desk
NEW DELHI, 18 SEP: Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday resigned as Chief Minister of Punjab, citing continued humiliation by the Congress leadership over the past two months.
He made the announcement at a press conference after handing over his resignation to Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
This comes after Amarinder Singh informed Congress chief Sonia Gandhi that he was not interested in continuing as the chief minister if the Congress continues to sideline him, sources said.
“I was humiliated three times by the Congress leadership in the past two months. Previously MLAs were called to Delhi twice and now they convened Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting here in Chandigarh today,” Amarinder Singh told reporters on Saturday, adding, “If there is any element of doubt over my ability, I feel humiliated.”
Making it clear that he would explore and exercise his future options when the time comes, Captain Amarinder said he would decide his future political course of action in consultation with his supporters who have stood by him for over five decades. “There is always an option, and I will use that option when the time comes. At the moment I am still in Congress,” he said after submitting his resignation.
“Apparently the Congress high command does not have confidence in me and did not think I could handle my job. But I felt humiliated at the manner in which they handled the whole affair,” he told mediapersons at the gate of the Raj Bhavan after giving his resignation letter to the Governor.
With under five months to go for the state elections, Singh after tendering his resignation said that he won’t accept newly appointed party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu as the next CM or the party’s face in the coming polls. Analysts said the infighting could work to the advantage of the Aam Aadmi Party, widely seen as the strongest contender in the state at this point in time.
The development came amid a power tussle that divided the ruling party in the state, with Singh and Sidhu at loggerheads. Sidhu was made the state Congress chief earlier this year despite opposition by Singh. Sidhu and several Congress lawmakers in the state have targeted Singh for not fulfilling promises made in the 2017 manifesto, being soft on the Badals of the Akali Dal , and an over-reliance on a small group of bureaucrats.
Congress Legislative Party (CLP) passed a resolution authorising party chief Sonia Gandhi to take a decision in the matter. The names of Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, his predecessor Sunil Jakhar and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa were doing the rounds as possible contenders for the post.
Singh was accompanied by his wife, Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, and son Raninder Singh. Lok Sabha MPs Gurjit Singh Aujla and Ravneet Singh Bittu were also present. Before going to the Raj Bhawan, Singh was a huddle with at least a dozen ministers, MLAs and MPs, according to people aware of the development.
Tags: #AmarinderSingh #PunjabCMresigns #CLP
