Congress veteran Capt Amarinder Singh today resigned as Punjab Chief Minister in the face of a growing disenchantment against him in the state unit of the party, the development coming just a few months ahead of Assembly elections. A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party held shortly afterwards left it to party chief Sonia Gandhi to choose his successor.
Even as the CLP meet passed a resolution thanking the outgoing chief minister for his contribution, the events were marked by bitterness, with Amarinder telling the media that he felt humiliated at the manner in which his removal was effected. Amarinder made it clear that he was not going quietly into the night, emphasising after his resignation that felt humiliated at the way the party high command conducted the developments and that he will decide on his future course of action.
“I had made my decision (to resign as CM) in the morning. I spoke to Congress President (Sonia Gandhi) and informed her that I would be resigning,” Amarinder told media outside Raj Bhawan after tendering his resignation.
His ire was evident when he said he felt humiliated and that he decided to resign as MLAs had been rallied against him by the party high command on three occasions in the last three months, the third time being today. “They can appoint whoever they have faith in,” he said, but refused to state if he would accept the new chief minister.
The 79-year-old leader also made it clear that he would go down fighting when he said he would use his options when the right time comes. Asked about his future course of action, he said he would talk to his supporters before deciding on his next move. “There are people who support me. I have been in politics for the last 52 years and I have been chief minister for nine-and-a-half years. I will talk to my supporters and then take a decision,” he said.
“I can only tell you I am in the Congress party. I will talk to my supporters and decide our future course of action,” he said.
Amarinder's resignation comes in the midst of a growing clamour for a change of guard in the poll-bound state. The writing was on the wall for him when the Congress high command instructed late last night that a meeting of the MLAs be called today in the wake of a missive by over 40 legislators to the party president with regard to their concerns about the chief minister failing to fulfill the 18 point agenda laid out for him to accomplish ahead of the state elections.
The CLP meeting was attended by 78 out of 80 MLAs, and two resolutions were passed in it. The first resolution moved by AICC General Secretary Ajay Maken, who was in attendance as an observer, thanked Amarinder for his contribution as chief minister. The second resolution moved by Punjab minister Brahm Mohindra was for appealing to the party president to choose Amarinder's successor, and according to AICC General Secretary in-charge of the state Harish Rawat, it was passed unanimously.
There were hectic political developments in Chandigarh following the midnight tweet put out by Rawat about a CLP meeting being convened in the light of the issues raised by the MLAs. According to party sources, the high command conveyed to Amarinder that he needed to step down in the wake of developments in the state unit and more importantly in view of the situation on the ground.
Even as Amarinder met his loyalists at his official residence in Chandigarh at 2 pm, legislators began gathering at the Punjab Congress office for the CLP meet which was to begin at 5 pm, keen to tell the high command which side they were on and to confirm that they were not present in the chief minister's meeting. Just about 15 MLAs and ministers attended the meeting called by the chief minister.
The Congress high command's decision to ask Amarinder to step down was dictated by a feedback from the state unit leaders and legislators that the party was fast losing ground in the state because of the strong anti-incumbency against the state government and the public anger over unkept promises such as on the sacrilege issue, the drugs menace and the faulty power purchase agreements. Surveys commissioned by the party also brought to the fore the same sentiments.
The idea behind appointing Amarinder's bete noire Navjot Singh Sidhu as the PCC chief was to divert attention away from the negative perception of the Amarinder government. However, the tussle for power between Amarinder and Sidhu escalated, tearing the party apart and not allowing it to get into poll mode.
There is speculation on what would be the next move of Amarinder, who may not enjoy much support in the state unit at present, but who could still cause damage to the Congress if he quits and splits the party. If he parts way with the party, it won't be the first time for him. He had left the party following the Operation Bluestar in 1984 and joined the Shiromani Akali Dal. In 1992, he floated his own party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic), which he merged with the Congress in 1998.
