‘Anguished at political events of last 5 months’: Amarinder Singh wrote to Sonia Gandhi hours before quitting as Punjab CM
Sunday, 19 September 2021 (16:12 IST)
Chandigarh: Captain Amarinder Singh, who resigned as the chief minister of Punjab on Saturday, wrote a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi saying he was 'anguished', and warning the party against "national imperatives" of the events in the state.
"Anguished at political events of last five months, which were not based on full understanding of the national imperatives of Punjab and its key concerns," Amarinder Singh said in his letter to Sonia Gandhi informing about his resignation, according to a series of tweets by his media advisor Raveen Thukral.
"Notwithstanding my personal anguish, I hope this (developments in Punjab Congress) won't damage hard-earned peace and development in Punjab, and the efforts I have been focusing on, would continue unabated, ensuring justice to one and all," he said.
Singh, who has been vocal against Sidhu's appointment as the Punjab Congress president, on Saturday called him a 'friend of Pakistan'. Talking to media after his resignation, Singh warned the party against appointing Sidhu to the top post, and said it will have implications of national security as Punjab shares border with Pakistan.
"People of Punjab are looking up to Congress for its mature and effective public policies, which not only reflect upon good politics, but also address the concerns of the common man that are specific to this border State," he said.
Singh also wrote that he did his best as the chief minister of the border state.
"Did my best as CM of Punjab, which is border state with many geo-political and other internal security concerns, which I tried to handle effectively without any compromise. Happy that State remained fully peaceful, with complete communal harmony," he said.
"Not only I established rule of law and ensured transparent governance, but maintained ethical conduct even in management of political affairs, winning eight out of 13 seats in the Parliament Elections in 2019," he said.
Singh has been vocal about being upset with the party leadership over changes being made in Punjab. The move comes after months of power tussle between Sidhu and Singh.
On Saturday, Singh had said he was feeling 'humiliated', adding that he will continue in politics and decide future course of action after talking to his associates.
The development also came just months before assembly polls. (UNI)