Punjab: At a press conference in Chandigarh today, former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh is likely to announce the formation of his own political party in Punjab ahead of the state elections. Last week, the former Chief Minister declared that he will form his own political party and that if the farmers’ protest is settled, he and parts of the Shiromani Akali Dal may form an alliance with the BJP (SAD).
On Tuesday, a day before the news conference, the Congress high command contacted numerous Punjab party leaders. AICC leader Rahul Gandhi invited at least five MLAs to Delhi and held separate talks with them as soon as Amarinder’s media adviser Raveen Thukral sent out invites for Wednesday’s news conference.
On the same day, Singh lashed out at his political opponents’, accusing them of abusing his followers in Patiala. He said, “From personal attacks, they’ve now stooped to threats and harassment of my supporters in Patiala and elsewhere. Let me tell my rivals they can’t defeat me with such low-level political games. They will neither win votes nor people’s hearts with such tactics.”
Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister, said it would be a “big mistake” if Amarinder Singh formed a new political party. Singh’s face will be “scarred” in the state, according to him.