Amarinder says BJP didn't seek his views on Punjab; AAP calls him 'opportunistic'

Captain Amarinder Singh has expressed disappointment at not being included in discussions regarding Punjab's political direction

NEW DELHI: Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has expressed displeasure over not being consulted on matters concerning the state, saying he and other leaders with decades of experience in Punjab politics were not asked for their views.Speaking to PTI, Singh said, “I have spent 60 years in Punjab politics. I am not alone; there are other colleagues with me. We have seen the situation in Punjab over all these years, but at one point, they did not even ask us.”“We are people from here, and it is my duty to tell them what my views and feelings are,” Singh said, according to PTI.Singh, however, said his comments should not be interpreted as an indication that he was leaving the BJP or returning to the Congress.“I have not said that my relevance is no longer there in the Congress or the BJP. Parties keep changing,” he told PTI.“When I was in the Congress, I also went to the Akali Dal over Operation Blue Star and later returned to the Congress. That does not mean I will now leave and join another party,” Singh said.His remarks came amid questions over his political relevance in Punjab and his relationship with the BJP. Singh has been with the BJP since leaving the Congress and forming his own party, Punjab Lok Congress, before merging it with the BJP in 2022.

AAP attacks AmarinderReacting to Singh's remarks, Punjab Aam Aadmi Party general secretary and media in-charge Baltej Singh Pannu accused the former chief minister of being an “opportunistic” political leader.“Captain Amarinder Singh is saying that he achieved nothing by joining the BJP. If a list of opportunistic leaders in Punjab were to be made, Captain Amarinder Singh would be at number one; I have never seen or heard of a more opportunistic political leader,” Pannu said, according to IANS.

Pannu said Singh had already been rejected by the people of Punjab and questioned his record as chief minister.“The people of Punjab have already rejected him. Now he is saying that he gained nothing, but the people of Punjab made him Chief Minister twice; what did he do for Punjab? He couldn't do anything,” Pannu said.