The former Chief Minister and longtime congressman, Captain Amrinder Singh has announced that he will form his own party. The development has ended the suspense on Captains' political future after he was unceremoniously asked to resign as the Chief Minister of Punjab. The former Congress stalwart also said that his upcoming party will form a pre-poll alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other splinter groups of the Akalis. He also went on to add that the farmer's agitation that has now gone over one year will be resolved soon.
As per a report in The Print, he also added that he would accept BJP as an ally only when a satisfactory resolution of the farmers' protests is found. Besides the BJP, he was considering forming an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal's breakaway factions, particularly the Dhindsa and Brahmpura factions, for the upcoming elections.
It is to be noted that this is the first time Amarinder Singh, who was abruptly removed as Punjab chief minister by the Congress high command in September, has stated his intentions for the future. He had already declared his departure from the Congress, and his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval sparked rumors that he might join the BJP, which he had denied.
'Security is a major issue in Punjab'
For the past three years, Amarinder has been raising the matter. Punjab was being "weaponized" by ISI and Khalistani sleeper cells, he added, but the current volume of weaponry entering the country was "disturbing." He also brought up the issue of drones being used to transport AK-47s, pistols, grenades, drugs, and cash.
