Congress chief Rahul Gandhi named Capt Amarinder Singh as his favorite politician from the BJP, with the previous Punjab chief minister saying that whereas his private and household relations with Rahul and his mom Sonia Gandhi will all the time be there, politically he stays dedicated to the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi’s comment got here in a video shared on Instagram by the Congress chief.
“I get together with him; he’s cool. He’s an skilled on navy historical past. Hello, uncle Amarinder,” Gandhi mentioned.
In a contemporary outreach to Gen Z, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched an “Ask Me Something” session on Instagram, answering a number of questions.
Posting a hyperlink to his Instagram initiative on X, Gandhi mentioned, “College students, Gen-Z — I am right here to hear. Ask me something on Instagram, and I will reply as many questions as I can.” Reacting to Gandhi’s comment, Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday mentioned it was good of Rahul Gandhi to talk properly of him.
He mentioned he has identified Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi since they have been youngsters and their father and former prime minister late Rajeev Gandhi was his classmate and a good friend.
Amarinder mentioned, all over the place internationally, besides in India, private relationships are separate from one’s political commitments.
He mentioned, whereas his private and household relations with Rahul and his mom Sonia Gandhi will all the time be there, politically he stays dedicated to the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering.
Amarinder recalled that in 1980 he was a Congress MP, whereas his mom, late Maharani Mohinder Kaur, was an MP from a rival celebration.
“Would that imply I will not be getting alongside properly with my mom?” he requested.
Pritpal Singh Baliawal, senior spokesperson of Punjab BJP, mentioned, “Capt sahab is the tallest chief in Punjab”.
Baliawal mentioned, however Gandhi is remembering Capt Amarinder when the grand previous celebration faces “extreme infighting and bickerings” in its Punjab unit. Congress is a sinking ship, he added.
Referring to the circumstances which led to Amarinder Singh’s exit from the Congress in 2021 when he was Punjab chief minister, Baliawal mentioned Gandhi must also keep in mind that time when he didn’t really feel “Capt Amarinder was cool, a frontrunner or an uncle”.
“At the moment, Gandhi didn’t worth Capt sahab’s contributions for Punjab and even the service which he had additionally rendered for the grand previous celebration. Now, when Congress is witnessing extreme infighting and bickering and the Congress ship is sinking, Gandhi is remembering Amarinder Uncle,” Baliawal mentioned.
When reporters right here requested Congress chief Rana Gurjit Singh about Gandhi’s comment, he mentioned each leaders have household relations and mentioned the previous CM was a revered chief.
Requested if he needs Amarinder ought to return to Congress, Rana Gurjit mentioned, “I do not want something”. He then added Amarinder mustn’t have left Congress.
“Had he stayed he would have been like a father determine the place everybody would have consulted him on numerous points,” he mentioned.
When Amarinder was within the Congress, he was one of many strongest regional satraps of the celebration and had steered the Congress in 2017 to a landslide victory within the 117-member meeting to turn into the Punjab chief minister for the second time.
He resigned from the CM’s put up and stop the Congress in 2021 as a consequence of infighting within the celebration’s state unit, and shaped a brand new celebration, Punjab Lok Congress (PLC), which he later merged with the BJP after the PLC didn’t win any seat within the 2022 Punjab meeting polls.
Singh’s spouse and former MP Preneet Kaur, son Raninder Singh and daughter Jai Inder Kaur at the moment are additionally with the BJP.
In 2019, when he was with the Congress and chief minister of Punjab, Capt Amarinder Singh, whereas wishing Gandhi on his birthday, had tweeted and mentioned, “Want you a really comfortable birthday, expensive @RahulGandhi. Pleased with who you might have turn into through the years; I see my expensive good friend (late) Rajiv (Gandhi) in you”.
In December final yr, Amarinder Singh had mentioned he nonetheless felt harm by the style wherein he was eliminated as chief minister when he was with the Congress. “The query of becoming a member of Congress doesn’t come up,” he had then mentioned in an interview with PTI Movies.
Nonetheless, he had mentioned he would all the time assist Congress chief Sonia Gandhi if she requested, though “not politically”.
Amarinder Singh had additionally praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had “particular affection for Punjab” and “would do something for the state”.
He had urged the individuals of Punjab to contemplate the BJP for “stability”, saying India’s safety and Punjab’s pursuits have been linked.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
