After Congress' in-charge of Punjab Harish Rawat said that there were no facts in reports that Amarinder Singh was insulted by the party, the former chief minister of the state, on Friday, 1 October, questioned why, then, was Navjot Singh Sidhu allowed to openly criticise him on multiple occasions.
"Three weeks before stepping down as the CM, I had offered my resignation to Sonia Gandhi but she had asked me to continue. The world saw the humiliation and the insult heaped on me, and yet (Harish) Rawat is making claims to the contrary. If this was not humiliation then what was it?" Amarinder Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.
"If the party didn't intend to humiliate me, then why was Navjot Singh Sidhu allowed to openly criticise & attack me on social media & other public platforms for months? Why did the party give the rebels, led by Sidhu, a free hand in undermining my authority? Why was no cognizance given to the uninterrupted spree of electoral wins I handed over to the party through the four and a half years I was in the saddle?"Amarinder Singh, as reported by The Indian Express
Talking about Sidhu, Captain Singh asked why the party was so defenceless against him.
“What is the pressure he exerts on the party leadership that they are so defenceless against him and are allowing him to have his way even to the cost of the Congress’ future in Punjab?” he asked, as per The Indian Express.
Appears Captain is Under Some Sort of Pressure: Rawat
Earlier, Rawat had said that there were no facts in reports that Amarinder Singh was insulted by Congress.
"It appears from Captain's recent statements that he is under some sort of pressure. He should rethink and not help BJP directly or indirectly," Rawat had told the media in a statement in Dehradun.
He added that all that has been done by the Congress party so far is to protect the respect and dignity of the senior party leader and increase the party's chances in the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
'Seemed Like Amarinder & Badals Had a Secret Understanding'
Rawat also said that there was a "general perception throughout Punjab" that Amarinder Singh and the Badals were "helping each other and had a secret understanding", ANI had reported.
"Many prominent ministers came to Delhi with the complaint that with Captain at the helm of affairs, Congress can't win the elections," Rawat was quoted as saying by ANI.
Rawat also said that the Captain had failed to deliver on his promises of action against drugs and electricity supply, among other issues.
"Despite continuous reminders from his colleagues & the leadership, unfortunately, Captain Amarinder failed to keep his promises on important issues like Bargadi, drugs, electricity etc. At least five times, I discussed these issues with Captain sahib but with no result," he said.
Rawat's statement came a day after Singh told NDTV in an interview that he was leaving Congress as he could not stay in a party where he was "insulted and not trusted".
Asserting that he has made his stand 'very clear' to the party, he expressed, "I have not resigned from the Congress yet, but how can one continue in a place where there is a trust deficit," according to NDTV.
The former CM stated that in view of the absence of trust within the party, he could not continue.
(With inputs from NDTV, The Indian Express, and ANI.)
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