'Not being consulted': Amarinder Singh says all decisions of BJP made in Delhi; rules out joining Cong

Mohali, Dec 12 (PTI) Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh criticised the functioning of the BJP, saying he was not being consulted by the party, unlike the Congress but ruled out joining his former party.

Singh, a BJP leader, said he still felt hurt by the manner in which he was removed as chief minister when he was with 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 said it was easier to meet the Congress high command than the BJP's top leadership. Congress, he said, used to consult its leaders and had "a more democratic system".

He also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had "special affection for Punjab" and "would do anything for the state". He added that while he has communicated his commitment to the BJP to the prime minister, he did not personally know many national 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.

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 Congress's state unit. After Congress's Charanjit Singh Channi became the chief minister, he quit the party and formed a new party, which merged with the BJP later in 2022.

This comes following a political furore triggered by Navjot Kaur Sidhu's remark that anyone who "gives a suitcase of Rs 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 Videos, 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." The former CM maintained that the BJP could grow in Punjab only by joining hands with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), pointing out that the two parties had been in an alliance before.

Asserting that he understood Punjab's thinking due to his 60 years of political experience, he claimed that the BJP and Akali Dal would eventually come together.

No government can be formed without an alliance and the absence of one would be a "bigger disaster" than Bhagwant Mann as chief minister, he said.

"If cadre-building is their (BJP's) priority, then it will have to wait for three to four terms," he said.

Singh added that while SAD's late leader Parkash Singh Badal was "unreliable to the core" but described his son Sukhbir Badal as reliable. Parkash Singh Badal focused only on rural Punjab and ignored the industrial sector, he said.

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.

On the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he said this was the party's "one and only chance. The party will crack before the elections." The AAP had "no future in Punjab" and would not even reach double digits in the next elections, he said.

Singh said Punjab was going through its worst phase since the years of terrorism, blaming the AAP government for the situation.

Lambasting the chief minister for his government's "freebies", Singh said Mann only "comes on TV and cracks jokes". "Governance is serious business. Is this how Punjab should be run?" he asked.

He added that bringing investments under the "present circumstances" was difficult. No government could function only on freebies, he said.

"Even I used to give free power and free bus service, but this government is giving everything free. How will they run a government like this?" he asked. Mann should "leave Punjab" as the people can manage without him, Singh said.

Punjab has been reduced to a "beggar state" and stressed that it needs investment in infrastructure, he said.

Singh said Mann was only a "figurehead" and that actual decisions for Punjab were being taken by AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and senior party leader Manish Sisodia.

"What does Kejriwal know about Punjab? Does he understand the issues of Majha, Malwa and Doaba?" he said.

When asked about the current national security situation, he said Pakistan has never wanted stability in India. He also criticised US President Donald Trump for claiming credit in the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor. He said losses of aircraft during war were normal and added that modern warfare had changed with drones becoming central to most operations.

Asserting that India's security and Punjab's interests were linked, Singh urged the people of Punjab to consider the BJP for "stability". PTI COR VSD SKY SKY