Amarinder Singh and Partap Singh Bajwa.
Three days after Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he would contest 2022 Assembly election, former PPCC chief and Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa Monday asked the CM to “keep his promise and make way for others to hold the reins of the party in the state”.
Bajwa said, “I have a brotherly advice for the CM because I respect him a lot. Out of this respect I want to remind him of the promise he made ahead of 2017 Assembly election that this would be his last election. He should quit in time like cricket star Sachin Tendulkar. There is honour in quitting in time.”
Talking to The Indian Express, Bajwa, who has opened a front against Amarinder, said, “Moreover, people are sick of him and former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s rule in Punjab alternatively. They want change. Captain Sahib should quit and allow someone else to steer the ship away from a fast approaching iceberg. A man’s character is known by the promises he keeps.”
Bajwa said after Amarinder exiting honourably, let the party high command take a call on whom to hand over the reins of the party. “For any defence force or a political party, the choice of Captain should be made on right mix of three ingredients: seniority, loyalty and capability,” he added.
Taking on strategist Prashant Kishor, Bajwa called him a dream seller, “Kishor came to Punjab, sold dreams to people and when they came to terms with reality they felt they were cheated. He should stay away from Punjab. Who would trust him in the state now?”
Advising the CM against taking Kishor on board, Bajwa said, “Why should he need a Kishor? Any political leader knows the mantra of success — work hard and keep promises made to people. We have about two years to go. We should get down to fulfilling our promises. We would not need Prashant Kishor.”
The former president of Punjab Congress who had to hand over the baton to Amarinder amid a rebellion by the latter, asked the CM as to why he had to send his grandson as his emissary to Kishor. “What Kishor did by making his emissary wait for two hours and then refusing to take up his campaign is an insult to injury. The CM had called him a family member. Is this what a family member does? If Captain was unsure of Kishor, he should not have sent his grandson. As a veteran Congressman, I am miffed at the way Kishor insulted our Chief Minister. This is the insult of Congress cadres. I am also feeling said that the CM is a seasoned Congressman and yet he was taken in by the likes of Kishor. Why should we get someone, who does not know Punjab to suggest us from 1800 km away?” he asked.