Congress in pathetic situation in Punjab now, only pressure for last few months was loyalty to party, says Amarinder Singh

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], October 1 (ANI): Taking strong exception to Harish Rawat's "no-holds barred attack" against him, former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday rejected the Congress leader Harish Rawat's "outrageous claims and allegations," which he said were clearly prompted by the "pathetic situation" the Congress now found itself in the state after being on a winning spree for four-and-a-half years.

Amarinder Singh said the only pressure he had been under for the past few months was that of his own loyalty to the Congress. He also said that Congress is "clearly on backfoot" now in Punjab, which will face assembly polls early next year.

Amarinder Singh said he had offered resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi three weeks before stepping down as chief minister but she had asked him to continue.

He said the "humiliating manner" in which he was pushed into resigning just hours before the CLP meeting, "which was clearly convened to oust him, was a matter of public record".

He rejected remarks of Harish Rawat, Congress in-charge of Punjab, who addressed a press conference earlier in the day.

"The world saw the humiliation and the insult heaped on me, and yet Mr Rawat is making claims to the contrary," he remarked, adding "If this was not humiliation then what was it?" Amarinder Singh said.

Rawat, he said, should put himself in his (Captain Amarinder's) shoes, and then, perhaps, he would realise how insulting the entire affair was.

The former Punjab Chief Minister recalled that Rawat himself had publicly stated after meeting him that he was satisfied by his government's track record on the 2017 poll promises.

In fact, the Congress in-charge of Punjab had categorically stated, as recently as September 1, that the 2022 elections would be fought under his (Captain Amarinder's) leadership and the high command had no intention of replacing him, he pointed out.

"So how can he now claim that the party leadership was dissatisfied with me, and if they were, then why did he deliberately keep me in the dark all this time?," he asked.

Ridiculing Rawat's remarks that he (Captain Amarinder) seemed to be under pressure, the former Chief Minister said the only pressure he had been under for the past few months was that of his own loyalty to the Congress, because of which "he continued to tolerate insult after insult".

"If the party did not intend to humiliate me then why was Navjot Singh Sidhu allowed to openly criticise and attack me on social media and 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?," he asked.

Amarinder Singh asked why the Congress was allowing Sidhu even now to hold the party to ransom and continue to dictate terms. "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.

Reacting to Rawat's comment regarding his secular credentials, Captain Amarinder said even his worst critics and enemies could not doubt his integrity in this regard. "But I am no longer surprised that a senior and seasoned Congress leader like Mr. Rawat is questioning my secular credentials. It is quite evident that I am no longer trusted and respected in the party that I have served loyally all these years," he added.

Categorically denying Rawat's allegation that he (Captain Amarinder) had refused to meet Channi after the latter's swearing-in, the former Chief Minister said Channi had called him up on the day of his swearing-in and was supposed to come over but failed to turn up.

As for not taking Rawat's calls, Captain Amarinder said it was all humbug. "We spoke just a day before the CLP meeting was called. Mr Rawat told me then there was nothing in the works and even claimed he had not seen any letter sent by 43 MLAs. I am shocked at the blatant way in which he is now lying about this," the former Chief Minister added.

Amarinder Singh said as CM twice and PPCC chief on three occasions, he had worked with stalwarts like Pranab Mukherjee, Moti Lal Vohra, Mohsina Kidwali, Meira Kumar and Shakeel Ahmed as Congress in-charge for Punjab. "I never had a single problem with any of them. I fail to understand Mr Rawat's behaviour and actions," he added.

Captain Amarinder dismissed as total nonsense Rawat's remarks that he was circulating the theory of humiliation after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and pointed out that he had clearly said on the day of his resignation that he had been humiliated by thrice by the Congress party, which had sidelined him to convene CLP meetings twice in Delhi and the last time in Chandigarh even though he was the CLP leader then.

As for the implementation of poll promises, the former Chief Minister said contrary to the lies being touted by Rawat, he had fulfilled nearly 90 per cent of the promises made in the 2017 election manifesto, which was a matter of record and could not be negated "with frivolous and baseless statements". (ANI)