Wednesday, 29 September 2021 | PNS | New Delhi
Amid the turmoil in Punjab Congress, former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh landed in Delhi on a two-day visit triggering wild speculation about his next move.
The political grapevines were abuzz with talks of his possible meetings with BJP chief JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah, not ruling out a call on Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
However, Amarinder tried to set aside the speculation while speaking to the media at the Delhi airport: “I am here to vacate Kapurthala House (the official residence of Punjab Chief Minister in New Delhi). I am not going to meet any politician.”
Amarinder had resigned amid a bitter power tussle with party leader Navjot Singh Sidhu paving way for the anointment of Sidhu as head of the party.
His media adviser Raveen Thukral too called these reports of his political meetings in the national Capital a “speculation”.
“Too much being read into @capt_amarinder’s visit to Delhi. He’s on a personal visit, during which he’ll meet some friends and also vacate Kapurthala house for the new (Punjab) CM (chief minister). No need for any unnecessary speculation,” Thukral tweeted.
Sources said Amarinder arrived at the Chandigarh airport at the same time on Tuesday when Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi also reached there from a vacation at Himachal Pradesh. Sources said while three of them boarded the same flight, they merely exchanged courtesy and did not talk. It is Captain’s first visit to the national Capital after he resigned on September 18.
After quitting as Punjab CM, Amarinder had indicated he was still keeping his political options open, saying he was talking to his friends before deciding on his future course of action. “You can be old at 40 and young at 80,” he had said, making it clear that he did not see his age as a hurdle.
After resigning as Amarinder had said he felt “humiliated” and then he had also called Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra “inexperienced”. He had also dubbed Sidhu as “anti-national” and “dangerous”, saying he would pit a strong candidate against the State party chief in the upcoming Assembly polls.
