Capt Amarinder Singh joins BJP, merges his Punjab Lok Congress with saffron party

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, September 19

Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday merged his nascent party, the Punjab Lok Congress, with the BJP in presence of Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Kiren Rijiju.

Lauding the saffron party for its commitment to national security and calling it one of the reasons for his joining, Singh said that prior to his spine surgery abroad, he held discussions with his colleagues in PLC who told him that “if we want to see a future in Punjab, we need to join the BJP”.

“Now is the time to do something for the country. We have seen the Congress, now it is time to go to the party that has been doing so much for the country and its security. It is a pleasure being here,” Singh said.

Singh’s son Raninder Singh, whom BJP’s media in charge Anil Baluni addressed with prefix “yuvraj”, and daughter Jai Inder Kaur, also joined along with supporters, including his former adviser BIS Chahal, former deputy speaker of Punjab Assembly Ajaib Singh Bhatti, former MP Amrik Singh Aliwal, former legislators Harchand Kaur, Harinder Singh Thekedar, Prem Mittal and labour leader Kewal Singh.

Singh is the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.

Given the hype, the absence of Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda at the event raised some eyebrows. His response to whether his wife Preneet Kaur, a Congress MP, will also join the BJP, left everyone laughing. “Yeh zaroori hai ki jo husband kare wohi wife kare (Is it necessary for the wife to do what the husband is doing),” he shot back when asked about plans of his wife.

After undergoing a spine surgery in London, Singh had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah and Nadda, setting off speculations.

Given that Agriculture Minister Tomar was the man who welcomed Singh to the BJP’s fold, Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa tweeted: “The man who was instrumental in framing the 3 farm laws and is most hated by farmers of Punjab is given duty by BJP to welcome Amarinder in the party. What signal does BJP want to give?”

Singh (80) had floated the PLC last year after quitting Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister but his party failed to win any seat in the state assembly polls. He himself lost from his home turf of Patiala Urban.

On whether he supported the completion of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, he said, “My job is to fight for Punjab and I will continue to do that.”

Praising BJP, he said “our ideology is the same”.

“Punjab faces threats from across the border in Pakistan. We are hemmed in by two borders, two hostile nations and it is our duty to protect our country, our home state. If we don’t do it, then we are not doing our duty towards the nation,” he said.

Singh alleged that during the tenure of (former defence minister) A K Antony’s time not even one type of weapon was purchased by the Army, Navy or Air Force. “Weaponry is coming in and that is necessary for us if we have to secure our nation,” he said, adding that the BJP was doing a lot to strengthen the nation’s security.

“I have been in politics for 52 years. I have seen over a period of time that our relationship with Pakistan deteriorated. We have had three wars in 1961, 1965, and 1971, and since then this animosity has grown,” he added.

Singh said he has been bringing the drone issue to the notice of the PM and the Home Minister.

“Drones are coming in from across the border. Earlier they were coming in till 7 km, now they are coming up to 42 km, and they bring weapons, narcotics, and counterfeit currency with them. The objective is to create complete chaos in the border state,” he said.

Expressing his gratitude to PM Modi, Shah and Nadda, Singh said he was sure his party will prove useful for BJP in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana as well.

Praising Singh, Tomar said he always considered the nation first. “Capt Amarinder joining the BJP means he supports peace and security in Punjab.”

Rijiju said Punjab is a state which needs to be handled with care. “Being a border state, it is important that Punjab is safe and secure to ensure the safety and security of the country. Even as a Congress CM, he always put nation before politics,” he said.

Observers say that BJP is hoping that Singh ties across the party lines will help it achieve its ultimate goal—to form a government in Punjab

It was during his stint with the Akali Dal that Singh was first elected to the Punjab Assembly. Though he left the party calling it “temperamentally ill-suited” to him and formed his own party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic). A few years later he returned to the Congress, merging with it.

The BJP acknowledges Singh as a “nationalist”.

At 80, he has opened a new chapter in his political career, it remains to be seen how it pans from here on.