BJP never seeks my advice, didn’t join party for fun: Capt

Former Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh has said he won’t give his advice to the BJP on matters concerning Punjab’s politics or the ongoing farm crisis “till the party asks for it”.

Reaches out to protesting farmers

• Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder on Friday visited the Asia’s largest grain market in Khanna
• Amarinder met farmers and gave them a patient hearing over their paddy procurement woes
• He lashed out at CM Mann, alleging he turned his back on the farmers facing hardships in mandis

CM Mann not doing his bit

Farmers had sown PR-126 at his (Mann) behest. Has he visited any mandi in Punjab yet? It’s his duty to go to Delhi. If there’s any problem, he should meet the PM, Agriculture Minister and Home Minister. Capt Amarinder

In an interview with The Tribune, the former CM, who joined the BJP in September 2022, said, “They have not sought my views. I am not disillusioned with the BJP, but certainly think that they should understand that a lot of us (former Congress men) did not join the party for fun. We joined them because we are all serious and experienced politicians. Can someone else give them a better advice on Punjab crises than us?”

“I have been in politics since 1967. I have been a CM twice, a minister once, an MP twice and an MLA seven times. They did not ask for my views even during the Lok Sabha elections. You should have asked me about Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa or any other constituency before taking your own decision. A team working in Punjab with (Gajendra) Shekhawat came to see me, but nobody ever asked me about my views on any seat,” he said.

With the bypolls to Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, Barnala and Gidderbaha due on November 13, Capt Amarinder said he would campaign for the BJP “if they list me as one of the star campaigners, and if the candidates want me to campaign for them”.

Asked why had paddy procurement become a challenging task for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, the former CM said the main problem was the lack of experience of CM Bhagwant Mann and his Cabinet colleagues and the state government’s Mann and his cabinet colleagues and the state government’s lack of communication with the Centre. “It is wrong to say that since Punjab is being ruled by an opposition party, the BJP is ignoring it. During my tenure as CM, the BJP was in power at the Centre. In case of any problem, be it foodgrain production or even law and order like cross-border smuggling of drugs and arms, I would meet the PM and Union ministers and I was always heard and problems were solved.

“Even when the Akalis were in power, the then Congress government at the Centre would amicably resolve the issues. Things have to be discussed between the governments. This is the CM’s job. But they have no experience. They mistreat their officers. Everybody is fed up of the AAP’s system of functioning,” he said, adding Mann might not have been able to present a clear picture to the Centre.

Expressing concern over radicals gaining foothold in the state, he said the election of Amritpal Singh and Sarabjit Singh Khalsa as MPs indicated that the peasantry and people in general were unhappy. “People supported them to show their anger against the dispensation. In such a situation, they either pick up arms or take to streets. You have to deal with their problems on a priority,” he said. He, however, added the spectre of Khalistan was only in Canada, US, Italy or Germany... “where radical elements now live”.

Asked about the strained India-Canada ties, Capt Amarinder blamed it on Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s politics of polarising Sikh votes. “Trudeau has been raking up anti-India issues, be it Nijjar or Pannun, for his own electoral benefit. A few years ago, Pannun tried to stop me from going to the US, but the Americans didn’t give in. Trudeau, however, acceded to his demands. He wants to play this game and use them in the elections due next year,” he said.

On why the US has brought Pannun at the centre of its relations with India, the

BJP leader was quick to

add, “Because their relationship with Canada comes before India.”