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Tag: Amarinder Singh

  • Former CM Amarinder Singh warns of return of dark days of 1980s in Punjab

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH:  Former chief minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday warned against the return of the dark era of the 1980s in Punjab, saying “the way things are unfolding in the state today is quite worrisome” and cautioned the AAP government against any “laxity”.

    He also condemned the “complete failure” on the part of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state, claiming that it has not taken any action so far even after 24 hours following the murder of the Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri in Amritsar on Friday.

    Suri (58) was shot dead in broad daylight while taking part in a protest. He was protesting against the management of Gopal Mandir on Majitha Road — one of the busiest places in the city — after some broken idols of Hindu deities were allegedly found on the roadside, which he termed an act of sacrilege.

    The BJP leader said he was more concerned because the AAP government had “neither shown any inclination nor any capability” to handle such an alarming situation.

    “Once you let your weakness and shortcomings known, anti-national forces are bound to take advantage of that and that is what is precisely happening in Punjab now,” he said.

    “I am reminded of 1980s when the situation started drifting and deteriorating into terrorism and we had to pay such a huge price,” Singh warned while cautioning the AAP government against any laxity and inaction.

    “What to speak of taking any action, nobody from the AAP has even condemned the brutal murder of the Shiv Sena leader so far,” he said in a statement.

    Singh expressed shock as to how could someone who was under high security be shot dead in full public view with so many policemen around.

    “What action has the government taken,” he asked while warning against letting people being killed like that and letting those responsible go scot-free.

    The senior BJP leader criticized the AAP government for providing a free run to the radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who has been openly preaching and propagating violence and speaking the language of secession and separatism.

    “How can you (AAP government) let someone like him go scot-free when he has been openly speaking against the unity and integrity of the country and openly calling youth to take weapons,” he said.

    “This is criminal negligence on part of the AAP government as it has repeatedly failed in tackling serious incidents of crime,” Singh alleged. He pointed out that gangsters were also “having a free run as they were killing people like international sports stars and singers at their sweet will.”

    He also expressed strong apprehensions that the forces inimical to the interests of the country and state may soon form a nexus between gangsters and terrorists. “I am not sure whether they have already done it and if they do it, it will be a very dangerous situation to tackle,” he warned the government while advising it “to nip the evil in the bud.”READ: Punjab Court sends Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader’s murder accused to 7-day police remand 

    CHANDIGARH:  Former chief minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday warned against the return of the dark era of the 1980s in Punjab, saying “the way things are unfolding in the state today is quite worrisome” and cautioned the AAP government against any “laxity”.

    He also condemned the “complete failure” on the part of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state, claiming that it has not taken any action so far even after 24 hours following the murder of the Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri in Amritsar on Friday.

    Suri (58) was shot dead in broad daylight while taking part in a protest. He was protesting against the management of Gopal Mandir on Majitha Road — one of the busiest places in the city — after some broken idols of Hindu deities were allegedly found on the roadside, which he termed an act of sacrilege.

    The BJP leader said he was more concerned because the AAP government had “neither shown any inclination nor any capability” to handle such an alarming situation.

    “Once you let your weakness and shortcomings known, anti-national forces are bound to take advantage of that and that is what is precisely happening in Punjab now,” he said.

    “I am reminded of 1980s when the situation started drifting and deteriorating into terrorism and we had to pay such a huge price,” Singh warned while cautioning the AAP government against any laxity and inaction.

    “What to speak of taking any action, nobody from the AAP has even condemned the brutal murder of the Shiv Sena leader so far,” he said in a statement.

    Singh expressed shock as to how could someone who was under high security be shot dead in full public view with so many policemen around.

    “What action has the government taken,” he asked while warning against letting people being killed like that and letting those responsible go scot-free.

    The senior BJP leader criticized the AAP government for providing a free run to the radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who has been openly preaching and propagating violence and speaking the language of secession and separatism.

    “How can you (AAP government) let someone like him go scot-free when he has been openly speaking against the unity and integrity of the country and openly calling youth to take weapons,” he said.

    “This is criminal negligence on part of the AAP government as it has repeatedly failed in tackling serious incidents of crime,” Singh alleged. He pointed out that gangsters were also “having a free run as they were killing people like international sports stars and singers at their sweet will.”

    He also expressed strong apprehensions that the forces inimical to the interests of the country and state may soon form a nexus between gangsters and terrorists. “I am not sure whether they have already done it and if they do it, it will be a very dangerous situation to tackle,” he warned the government while advising it “to nip the evil in the bud.”READ: Punjab Court sends Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader’s murder accused to 7-day police remand 

  • Amarinder Singh set to join BJP; his son, daughter to follow suit

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Former chief minister and Punjab Lok Congress chief Amarinder Singh is likely to join the BJP here on Monday along with his son and daughter and supporters in the presence of senior leaders of the ruling party.

    Singh (80) will also merge his newly formed Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    Singh had floated the PLC last year after quitting the Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister, but his party failed to win any seat in the state assembly polls. Singh himself lost from his home turf of Patiala Urban.

    The PLC contested the elections in alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).

    Singh will join the BJP in the presence of its senior leaders in Delhi on Monday, PLC spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal had said.

    Sources said the former Punjab chief minister’s son Raninder Singh and daughter Jai Inder Kaur will also join the saffron party along with him, besides some other leaders from the state.

    Singh’s wife Preneet Kaur is the Lok Sabha MP of the Congress from the Patiala seat. The BJP is seeking to strengthen its base in Punjab through this merger.

    Singh had recently returned from London following a spinal surgery, and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

    After his meeting with Shah on September 12, Singh said he held a very productive discussion on various issues related to national security, rising cases of narco-terrorism in Punjab and the future roadmap for the state’s overall holistic development. The two-time former chief minister is the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.

    NEW DELHI: Former chief minister and Punjab Lok Congress chief Amarinder Singh is likely to join the BJP here on Monday along with his son and daughter and supporters in the presence of senior leaders of the ruling party.

    Singh (80) will also merge his newly formed Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    Singh had floated the PLC last year after quitting the Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister, but his party failed to win any seat in the state assembly polls. Singh himself lost from his home turf of Patiala Urban.

    The PLC contested the elections in alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).

    Singh will join the BJP in the presence of its senior leaders in Delhi on Monday, PLC spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal had said.

    Sources said the former Punjab chief minister’s son Raninder Singh and daughter Jai Inder Kaur will also join the saffron party along with him, besides some other leaders from the state.

    Singh’s wife Preneet Kaur is the Lok Sabha MP of the Congress from the Patiala seat. The BJP is seeking to strengthen its base in Punjab through this merger.

    Singh had recently returned from London following a spinal surgery, and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

    After his meeting with Shah on September 12, Singh said he held a very productive discussion on various issues related to national security, rising cases of narco-terrorism in Punjab and the future roadmap for the state’s overall holistic development. The two-time former chief minister is the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.

  • Descendants of traitors are now questioning credentials of martyrs: Punjab CM Mann

    By PTI

    SANGRUR: Days after SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann called freedom fighter Bhagat Singh a “terrorist”, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said no one has any right to question the contribution of great martyrs for the motherland.

    The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief, who is also the MP from Sangrur, has been under fire for his controversial remark.

    He had even defended his remark on Bhagat Singh.

    Addressing the gathering during a state-level function to mark the martyrdom day of Shaheed Udham Singh here on Sunday, Chief Minister Mann, without naming anyone, said it is unfortunate that those who swear by the Constitution to enjoy fruits of power raise a question mark on the supreme sacrifice of the martyrs.

    The AAP leader alleged that “when our great national heroes and martyrs were waging war against the atrocious British regime, some traitors were siding with the imperialist forces”.

    Those people who had felicitated the British had bruised the psyche of every freedom fighter and martyr, an official release quoted the chief minister as saying.

    “It is unfortunate that descendants of such traitors are now questioning the credentials of martyrs. Questioning the credentials of martyrs to eulogize the atrocities of British is a sin and those indulging in such heinous acts are doing an unpardonable crime,” he said.

    Bhagwant Mann said great martyrs like Shaheed Bhagat Singh do not need recognition from anyone because merely his name is enough to inspire millions of people to sacrifice their lives for the country.

    Any controversy on his name and contribution in the freedom struggle is “undesirable”, he stated, adding these martyrs had laid down their lives for the freedom of the country and no one has any right to question his role in the Independence movement.

    He trained his guns on former chief minister Amarinder Singh, a scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.

    “The royal family of Patiala has a lineage of anti-Punjab stance,” he alleged.

    “What good of Punjab can be expected from these people who were hand in glove with the British at the time when Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh and others were fighting for the country,” Bhagwant Mann alleged.

    READ HERE | Chimanlal Setalvad did not give clean chit to Gen Dyer for Jallianwala Bagh massacre: Historians

    Paying rich tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh, the chief minister said “this true son of soil had in a heroic act exhibited exemplary courage by killing Michael O’ Dwyer, the prime perpetrator of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre”.

    He also recalled the unparalleled sacrifice made by legendary martyrs like Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Udham Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha and others during the Indian freedom movement.

    Bhagwant Mann said as an artist whenever he went to London, he used to visit the Caxton Hall where Shaheed Udham Singh had taken revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

    “This hall is of immense significance for all of us as it reminds us of the heroic deed of the martyr.

    All out efforts will be made to bring back the belongings of all the martyrs to India,” the chief minister said.

    SANGRUR: Days after SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann called freedom fighter Bhagat Singh a “terrorist”, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said no one has any right to question the contribution of great martyrs for the motherland.

    The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief, who is also the MP from Sangrur, has been under fire for his controversial remark.

    He had even defended his remark on Bhagat Singh.

    Addressing the gathering during a state-level function to mark the martyrdom day of Shaheed Udham Singh here on Sunday, Chief Minister Mann, without naming anyone, said it is unfortunate that those who swear by the Constitution to enjoy fruits of power raise a question mark on the supreme sacrifice of the martyrs.

    The AAP leader alleged that “when our great national heroes and martyrs were waging war against the atrocious British regime, some traitors were siding with the imperialist forces”.

    Those people who had felicitated the British had bruised the psyche of every freedom fighter and martyr, an official release quoted the chief minister as saying.

    “It is unfortunate that descendants of such traitors are now questioning the credentials of martyrs. Questioning the credentials of martyrs to eulogize the atrocities of British is a sin and those indulging in such heinous acts are doing an unpardonable crime,” he said.

    Bhagwant Mann said great martyrs like Shaheed Bhagat Singh do not need recognition from anyone because merely his name is enough to inspire millions of people to sacrifice their lives for the country.

    Any controversy on his name and contribution in the freedom struggle is “undesirable”, he stated, adding these martyrs had laid down their lives for the freedom of the country and no one has any right to question his role in the Independence movement.

    He trained his guns on former chief minister Amarinder Singh, a scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.

    “The royal family of Patiala has a lineage of anti-Punjab stance,” he alleged.

    “What good of Punjab can be expected from these people who were hand in glove with the British at the time when Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh and others were fighting for the country,” Bhagwant Mann alleged.

    READ HERE | Chimanlal Setalvad did not give clean chit to Gen Dyer for Jallianwala Bagh massacre: Historians

    Paying rich tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh, the chief minister said “this true son of soil had in a heroic act exhibited exemplary courage by killing Michael O’ Dwyer, the prime perpetrator of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre”.

    He also recalled the unparalleled sacrifice made by legendary martyrs like Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Udham Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha and others during the Indian freedom movement.

    Bhagwant Mann said as an artist whenever he went to London, he used to visit the Caxton Hall where Shaheed Udham Singh had taken revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

    “This hall is of immense significance for all of us as it reminds us of the heroic deed of the martyr.

    All out efforts will be made to bring back the belongings of all the martyrs to India,” the chief minister said.

  • Amarinder Singh likely to be named NDA candidate for Vice President

    By Online Desk

    Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is in the race to become the next Vice President of India.

    Sources said that the NDA is likely to name the fromer Punjab Chief Minister as its candidate for the Vice President’s post.

    “Several names are doing the rounds of which the prominent ones are Amarinder Singh, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The vice presidential candidate will be finalised by the top BJP leadership and the Parliamentary Board,” said a BJP insider.

    Singh is currently in London for a back surgery. However, a close aide of the former Punjab Chief Minister said that no confirmation has been received yet proposing Singh’s name as NDA’s nominee for the Vice President’s post.

    ALSO READ | Capt Amarinder Singh to merge party with BJP, claims saffron party leader

    There is also a buzz in BJP circles that incumbent Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu could be given a second term, but as of now there have been no official deliberations on this.

    Singh left the Congress and formed the Punjab Lok Congress after he was removed from the post of Punjab Chief Minister last year. He contested the recent Punjab Assembly polls in alliance with the BJP.

    The BJP-led NDA candidate is all set to become the next Vice President as the voters are the Members of Parliament and the BJP has a huge mandate in the Lok Sabha while in the Rajya Sabha, it is the single-largest party having more than 90 seats.

    In the last election in 2017, the Opposition had fielded Gopalkrishna Gandhi but he lost to Naidu. Naidu polled 516 votes while Gandhi could manage only 244 votes.

    The Vice Presidential election is scheduled to be held on August 6.

    (With agency inputs)

  • Capt Amarinder Singh to merge party with BJP, claims saffron party leader

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh is likely to merge his party Punjab Lok Congress with the BJP after his return from London, where he is recovering after a spinal surgery.

    Though there is no word from the party, senior Punjab BJP leader Harjit Singh Grewal on Saturday claimed that a decision in this connection has been made.

    Before departing for London, Singh had conveyed his intention to merge his party with the BJP, Grewal said, adding the former chief minister will announce the merger on his return.

    Singh, the scion of the erstwhile Patiala Royal family and a two-time chief minister, had floated the PLC after he quit the Congress following his unceremonious exit as the chief minister last year.

    The PLC contested the 2022 state assembly polls in alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyuk).

    However, none of the PLC candidates could register a win, with Amarinder himself losing from his home turf Patiala Urban seat.

  • Trust people’s judgment to deliver positive verdict in our favour: Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: On the eve of the counting of votes, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday exuded confidence that the people of Punjab will deliver a positive verdict in favour of his party’s alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt).

    Counting of votes for 117 assembly constituencies of Punjab will be held on Thursday.

    A total of 1,304 candidates, including 93 women and two transgenders, are in the fray.

    After quitting the Congress following his unceremonious exit as the chief minister last year, Singh had launched his own political party — Punjab Lok Congress – and stitched an alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led SAD (Sanyukt).

    “The counting of votes marks the conclusion of the electoral festival of democracy and we are confident of outstanding results,” Singh said in a statement.

    “We trust people’s judgment to deliver a positive verdict in our favour and provide us with a chance to serve them for next five years,” he said, adding that the feedback from candidates and workers was very positive and encouraging.

    The former chief minister said people of Punjab understand the importance of a “double-engine” government that will watch and safeguard the national interest and help in reviving Punjab’s economy.

    “Promising days are ahead for Punjab,” added Singh.

    The term “double engine” is used by BJP leaders to refer to the party being in power at the Centre as well as in a state.

  • Congress MP Preneet Kaur attends BJP poll meet, seeks votes for husband Amarinder Singh in Punjab

    By PTI

    PATIALA: Congress MP Preneet Kaur on Saturday attending a meeting of the BJP here and sought votes for her husband Amarinder Singh in the Punjab assembly polls.

    Amarinder Singh had floated his own party Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) after he was unceremoniously removed as the chief minister by the Congress high command last year following a bitter tussle with party’s state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

    Kaur, the MP from Patiala, attended the BJP’s meeting, which had been organised for the saffron party’s ally Amarinder Singh.

    Amarinder Singh-led PLC, the BJP and the SAD (Sanyukt) are fighting the state polls in alliance.

    The former chief minister is contesting the elections as Punjab Lok Congress nominee from his traditional seat Patiala (Urban).

    Saturday’s meeting was organised at Sirhindi Gate here.

    “I have come to you to appeal for Amarinder Singh as your family member,” Kaur said, seeking votes for her husband.

    The move of Preneet, who has been staying away from campaigning for the Congress, has raised speculations about her next political step.

    A few days ago, Congress nominee from Patiala (Urban) Vishnu Sharma had asked Kaur to either campaign for the party or resign.

    “I am with my family. The family is above everything,” Kaur had said on Thursday when reporters asked her why she was “silent” during the elections.

    The Congress had in November last year issued her a show-cause notice seeking an explanation from her for alleged “anti-party activities”.

    When asked about it, Kaur had told reporters on Thursday that she did not receive any such notice and had only read about it in newspapers and on social media.

    The notice should otherwise have come from the party general secretary, she had said.

  • Family above everything: Congress MP Preneet Kaur says in support of husband Amarinder Singh

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Even as the Assembly elections in Punjab are around the corner, Congress MP Preneet Kaur, who is also former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s wife, continues to stay away from poll campaigning in Patiala.

    “Family is above everything,” she says.

    Amarinder Singh, who quit the Congress last year after being forced to resign as the chief minister, is fighting the upcoming polls from Patiala Urban seat after floating his own political outfit, the Punjab Lok Congress.

    A few days ago, Congress nominee from Patiala Urban seat Vishnu Sharma had asked Kaur, the MP from Patiala, to either campaign for the party or resign.

    “I am with my family. The family is above everything,” Kaur said when reporters asked why she was “silent” during the elections.

    The Congress had in November last year issued her a show-cause notice seeking an explanation for her alleged “anti-party activities”.

    When nudged about it, Kaur told reporters on Thursday that she did not receive any such notice, but had only read about it in newspapers and on social media.

    The notice should otherwise come from the general secretary, she said.

  • ‘Thoko Thoko, Ruko!! Zoor k Thoko!’: Amarinder mocks Sidhu after Channi declared Congress CM face for Punjab

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: The Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress has taken a jibe at Congress’s state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu after Charanjit Singh Channi was declared the chief ministerial candidate for the assembly polls.

    Using a hashtag ‘#CurtainsForSidhu’ on its Twitter handle, it shared a picture in which Gandhi, Sidhu, Channi and Sunil Jakhar held each other’s hands and raised them in the air.

    However, the face of Sidhu got covered accidentally for a few seconds because of his shawl.

    “A picture is worth a thousand words,” said the PLC in a tweet on Sunday.

    Further mocking Sidhu, the PLC said, “Thoko Thoko, Ruko!! Zoor k Thoko!,” a reference to Sidhu’s penchant of saying “Thoko Tali”.

    Before the announcement of the CM face, Sidhu had said in a tweet, “Nothing great was ever achieved without an act of decision”.

    “Warm welcome to our leading light Rahul Ji, who comes to give clarity to Punjab. All will abide by his decision !!!”.

    To this, the PLC replied, “You won’t.”

    Singh was removed from the post of the chief minister by the Congress last September and later he floated his own party.

    The PLC is fighting the February 20 Punjab assembly polls in alliance with the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).

  • Punjab polls: Amarinder’s assets worth Rs 63.73 crore

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: A farmhouse in Mohali’s Siswan, ancestral Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala, diamond and gold jewellery are among the total assets worth Rs 68.73 crore declared by former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh during the filing of his papers for the Assembly polls here.

    Singh was accompanied by BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat during the submission of his papers from the Patiala Urban seat.

    According to his affidavit, Singh owns moveable assets worth Rs 10.42 crore. He owns immovable assets worth 58.31 crores. The 79-year-old scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family has no vehicle in his name.

    He declared gold jewellery, including diamonds, worth Rs 51. 68 lakh while his wife has gold jewellery worth Rs 37.75 lakh. He has shown agricultural and non-agricultural land in Haridwar, Shimla, and Mohali.

    Singh, under his Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) category, has declared Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala, an inherited property, having a market value of Rs 35 crore and a farmhouse in Mohali’s Siswan worth Rs 12.50 crore.

    ALSO READ: Punjab polls: Bhagwant Mann has assets worth 1.97 crore; Sidhu declares properties worth near 45 crore

    He also declared total liabilities of Rs 9.26 crore. He declared his total income at Rs 39.99 lakh for 2020-21.

    Singh served as the chief minister of Punjab twice. But he could not complete his last tenure as the Congress unseated him from the post of the chief minister in September last year amid a bitter power tussle with Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu.

    Voting for Punjab’s 117 Assembly seats will be held on February 20 and the counting will take place on March 10.