Captain Amarinder Singh joins BJP, merges his PLC party
Veteran politician and former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi on Monday. He has also merged his newly-launched party, the Punjab Lok Congress (PLC), with the saffron party. Before officially joining the BJP, Singh met with party chief JP Nadda on Monday morning. Reportedly, seven former MLAs and a former MP also joined the BJP.
Why does this story matter?
Singh quit the Congress last year after being removed as Punjab's CM unceremoniously following his tussle with the then state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. He was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi. Since then, several leaders have abandoned the Congress to join the BJP across states. Speculations of Singh joining the BJP gained steam after he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week.
Captain Amarinder Singh makes it official
Singh's son, daughter follow suit
According to reports, Singh's son Raninder Singh and daughter Jai Inder Kaur have also joined the BJP on Monday. Singh is reportedly looking to secure a solid political footing in Punjab for his children and grandson who haven't been successful in their political careers so far. On the other hand, his wife Preneet Kaur is a Lok Sabha MP from Punjab's Patiala from Congress.
Singh had met Modi, Shah last week
Last week, Singh returned from London after undergoing spinal surgery, following which he met PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Shah. He said he had a fruitful discussion with Shah on issues like national security, narco-terrorism in Punjab, and the roadmap for the state's holistic development. To note, Singh, who was elected twice as Punjab's CM, belongs to the erstwhile Patiala royal family.
Second such merger for Singh
Interestingly, the PLC-BJP merger marks the second time when Singh joined forces with a national party after being routed in Assembly polls. In 1992, he split from the Akali Dal and found the Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic) before merging it with Congress in 1998. He formed the PLC last year. In the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, however, he lost from Patiala Urban—his home turf.
Singh's move won't be appreciated by people: Congress MP
Meanwhile, reacting to Singh joining the saffron party, Haryana Congress MP Deepender Hooda called the former Punjab CM's decision to join hands with the BJP "wrong." "I believe this is a wrong decision taken by Capt. Amarinder Singh," he said. Hooda added that joining forces with the BJP right after the farmers' protest will not be received well by the people.
