Chandigarh: Member of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Sukhpal Singh Khaira Sunday urged the party high command not to pull down Capt. Amarinder Singh, due to whose unrelenting efforts the party stands well entrenched in Punjab.
The MLAs said there was no doubt that the appointment of state PPCC chief was the prerogative of the party high command but at the same time washing dirty linen in public has only decreased the party graph during the last couple of months.
The MLAs said it was due to Capt. Amarinder Singh that the party regained power in Punjab in the aftermath of 1984 attack on Darbar Sahib and the subsequent genocide of the Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere in the country.
They said Capt. Amarinder Singh commanded immense respect across different sections of the society in the state, particularly the farmers for whom he even endangered his chair as CM while passing the 2004 Termination of Waters Agreement Act.
They said Capt. Amarinder Singh stood as a tall leader amongst the Sikhs because of his principled stand during testing times. They said Capt. Amarinder Singh had put in his resignation as a Member Parliament from Patiala after the attack on Darbar Sahib in 1984 and had similarly resigned as Agriculture Minister from the Barnala Cabinet in 1986, after operation Black Thunder then.
They said Capt. Amarinder Singh had to also face extreme vendetta politics at the hands of the Badal family, for filing corruption and disproportionate assets case against them in his first tenure as chief minister.
The MLAs said since merely six months were left for the elections, pulling the party into the different directions will only harm its prospects in the 2022 polls. They also supported the demand of Capt. Amarinder Singh that Navjot Singh Sidhu who had made numerous tweets against him and the government should tender a public apology, so that the party and government can function in tandem.
The MLAs offered a word of caution to Navjot Singh Sidhu, who they said was a celebrity and was no doubt an asset to the party but condemning and criticising his own party and government in the in public view has only created a rift in the cadres and weakened it. The MLAs said they hoped the party high command would take cognizance of their suggestions and will definitely keep in mind the status, contribution and background of Captain Amarinder Singh in mind while making vital decisions for the party. (UNI)
