FORMER PUNJAB chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh does not fight to lose. With the assembly polls due in early 2022, he said his newly launched party, the Punjab Lok Congress, will join hands with the BJP and one of the breakaway factions of the Shiromani Akali Dal to ensure victory.
Asked why no Congress legislator has joined his party so far, Amarinder said they were waiting for the election announcement to do so, because they apparently did not want to jeopardise the development work in their constituencies. He said his party was preparing a plan of action for the state, which would soon be made public.
Excerpts from an interview:
Q/Do you agree that the farmers forced the Union government to roll back the three contentious farm laws?
A/Negotiations were already going on between the government and the farmers. The government of India had always maintained that it was open to negotiations and discussions. It was good of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce the repealing of the three laws on the holy occasion of the Gurupurab of Guru Nanak Dev ji.
Q/You had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in connection with the farm laws. What role did you play in the government’s decision?
A/Since most of the protesting farmers were from Punjab, I kept on talking to the Centre all through the agitation and brought to their notice the sensitivity of the matter. But negotiations were going on directly between farmers’ unions and the Centre, as they (the unions) did not want any political interference in the agitation.
Q/Would you now be open to a seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP for the assembly polls?
A/Of course, I have said that the day I announced the formation of the Punjab Lok Congress.
Q/It is being said that electoral compulsions forced the Modi government to repeal the laws.
A/Why should every decision be viewed in electoral terms? There were more serious and sensitive issues involved. What matters is the prime minister’s nice gesture on the occasion of Gurupurab to repeal all three laws.
Q/What should be the road ahead in farm reforms?
A/It is not an easy road ahead. I am talking about Punjab and the same should hold true for the entire country. Land holdings are becoming smaller. Agriculture is no longer rewarding. Input costs are outweighing the output. We need to rethink the agriculture economy as the country continues to primarily remain an agrarian economy. We have to diversify. Despite being an agricultural economy, we are importing pulses worth 01.5 lakh crore every year. We can diversify and produce pulses here to save the huge foreign exchange. We can also save ground water. We have to focus on value addition to agricultural products so that the farmers, the original producers of food, get due benefits.
Q/What impact would the decision to repeal the farm laws have on assembly elections?
A/As I have said earlier, such decisions, which are of national interest and concern, should not be viewed with electoral purposes. Yes, it will lead to an atmosphere of trust and confidence. Our farmers who have been camping on the Delhi border, hopefully, should return to their homes now.
Q/Would you be looking to bring on board any of the farmer leaders involved in the agitation?
A/The agitating farmers and their leaders have been asserting the apolitical character of their agitation. It is for them to decide whether to take the political plunge or not.
Q/Your political rivals point out that none of your former colleagues have so far joined the Punjab Lok Congress.
A/Let us wait for the announcement of the election code of conduct. All of them are in the last lap of their term. I, as chief minister, had sanctioned 030,000 crore as local area development grant for the constituencies from the day I took over till July 31, 2021. If the MLAs decide to join me now, this government will stop all the development work in their constituencies, like they have done in my constituency, Patiala. So, wait and watch.
Q/It is also being said that your party will only end up as a spoiler in the elections.
A/I am a lifelong soldier. Soldiers do not fight to lose. I have always fought to win and we will be winning hands down. By we, I mean, the Punjab Lok Congress along with the BJP and one of the Akali Dal factions. We will be fighting the polls together.
Q/What are the issues you will campaign on?
A/Issues are numerous. Agriculture is one of the main issues. As I said earlier, it is no longer remunerative or rewarding. We have to fix the economy. We have to generate employment. National security is also of prime concern as we have a hostile neighbour next door. We are already in the process of preparing our plan of action, which we will present before the people of Punjab very soon.