Capt Amarinder Singh begins outreach, targets Akalis

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 13

After having survived a bid to oust him, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has started work on reclaiming political edge over his adversaries in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly elections, if the beginning of his outreach programme today at Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur was any indication.

In a clear move to send the message down the line, the CM camp has already started work to roll out welfare programmes in various Assembly segments. With the CM as face, new initiatives and more programmes will be announced. A social media team has been put in place to highlight the programmes.

Amarinder as CM

CM Capt Amarinder Singh’s camp has already started a campaign to project him as the chief ministerial face in the 2022 elections. Though the party’s central leadership has been avoiding announcement of the CM nominee, the Amarinder camp has started fortifying his position.

Setting the political tone for his outreach programme, the CM gave a clear message to farm unions to avoid protest in Punjab against the “black” laws and instead exert pressure on the Centre. “It was a clear message to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) which has issued a diktat to political parties to stop their campaign till the Election Commission announces the poll schedule. However, the SKM diktat does not apply to government functions,” said a party leader.

Setting his agenda, the CM targeted the SAD by accusing party supremo Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal of playing a double game on the farm laws passed by the BJP-led government at the Centre. Taking advantage of the changed political equation in the Punjab Congress after the intervention of the party high command to control internal strife, the CM camp has already started a campaign to project him as the CM face in the 2022 elections. Though party’s central leadership has been avoiding announcement of the CM nominee, the Amarinder camp has started fortifying his position.

Assigning of duties to senior party leader Lal Singh and three MLs Kiki Dhillon (Jat), Surinder Kumar Dawar (Hindu) and Raj Kumar Chabbewal (Dalit) to address public grievances at the CM’s residence was a clear sign of things to come.