Chandigarh: Feeling “humiliated” by the recent developments in the Congress, Captain Amarinder Singh resigned on Saturday as Chief Minister of poll-bound Punjab amid dramatic developments and infighting fuelled by state party president Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Captain Singh met Governor Banwarilal Purohit at Raj Bhawan here and handed over his resignation shortly before Congress Legislature Party (CLP) was scheduled to meet.
Appearing before the media after submitting his resignation, the outgoing Chief Minister said he had told Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the morning itself about his decision to quit in view of recent developments in the party.
‘I feel humiliated. So I decided to resign… They can make CM anyone on whom they have confidence,” he said.
Displaying his unhappiness over the recent developments in the Congress, Singh said it had happened thrice that MLAs of Punjab were called to Delhi by the Central leadership.
“I got a feeling that they did not have trust in me regarding my ability to run the government properly,” said 79-year-old Singh who has been in politics for 52 years and has served as Chief Minister of the state for over 9 years.
To questions about his future course of action, he made it clear that he would remain in politics. “Future politics will always remain an option…. I will meet my associates and discuss my future course in politics,” he said.
Singh submitted his resignation just before the meeting of CLP called by the faction led by Sidhu to discuss ‘internal issues’, possibly directed against the Chief Minister.
Sidhu has been raising questions over the Chief Minister’s governance for quite some time and has intensified his attack on Captain Amarinder Singh ever since he was appointed as the party president.
The developments come just months ahead of the polls scheduled to be held in the state next year.
