New Delhi: Capt. Amarinder Singh, the Chief Minister of Punjab, always had an aura around him — of a firm and decisive politician with an uncluttered mind who could hold his own even against the Congress high command.
This image has taken a hit as he stands as a helpless spectator while Reliance Jio towers are vandalised in Punjab by farmers protesting against the Centre’s new farm laws. The CM, who had taken out a tractor rally in support of farmers, finds no takers for his appeal to not indulge in vandalism. The state police haven’t registered any FIR so far, with Amarinder still weighing the pros and cons of acting against farmers.
Congress functionaries closely associated with him tell ThePrint that Amarinder is “extremely concerned” about the possibility of the farmers’ agitation getting out of hand but remains clueless about his own plan of action. This display of weakness and indecisiveness is quite uncharacteristic of the scion of the erstwhile royal family of Patiala, who has had an outstanding track record in public life.
In his assessment, say Amarinder’s associates, the agitation that was expected to hurt his political adversaries may end up damaging the reputation of his government and also his political prospects, with the assembly election barely 13 months away.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) might have lost much ground for being a part of the Central government that brought these farm laws, but it’s the prospect of the Aam Admi Party’s (AAP) revival that is haunting Congressmen in Punjab.
ThePrint reached Amarinder Singh’s office via telephone, but there was no response until the time of publishing this report.
Also read: Why discuss polish over China-Pak threat, House panel a joke, says Amarinder on Rahul walkout
AAP revival & Punjab’s identity politics
The AAP’s influence in the state was on the wane but Congress leaders believe that Arvind Kejriwal’s party has been able to make “considerable gains” through its pro-active support of the farmers’ agitation. On 27 December, Kejriwal also went to Singhu border to extend support to them.
“The attacks on Jio towers and targeting of corporate houses may scare away many investors from Punjab. All that Captain has done as chief minister in the past four years will be forgotten if there is a serious law and order situation in the election year,” a Congress MP told ThePrint.
Amarinder, say Congress sources, would like the farmers to end their agitation, given that the Narendra Modi government is ready to guarantee continuation of minimum support price (MSP) and make amendments in the laws to address other concerns of the farmers.
It’s clear that the Centre will not repeal the laws and farmers have nothing more to gain from stridency, but “leaders like Joginder Ugrahan have a different agenda”, say Congressmen.
The chief minister seems to be caught between the proverbial devil and the deep sea. With former-and-would-be Congress president Rahul Gandhi strongly backing the farmers’ agitation, Amarinder can’t openly differ with or disapprove their course of action or act against vandals. But, it would be politically suicidal to be seen as a weak CM who stands as a mute spectator to a worsening law and order situation and also lets the AAP regain its lost ground.
There are also apprehensions among Congressmen that if the farmers’ agitation, largely led by Sikhs, continues and turns ugly at some stage, it may lead to the resurfacing of identity politics in Punjab, a scary prospect that the CM can’t ignore.
Also read: How faction-ridden AAP in Punjab is looking to turn farmers’ agitation into an advantage
A once-decisive Amarinder Singh
There was a time when Singh was decisive. In 1984, he had quit the Congress over Operation Blue Star and joined the Akali Dal. He returned to the party 14 years later.
Ahead of the 2017 assembly election, when Rahul Gandhi was seeking to undermine Amarinder and was toying with the idea of projecting a different leader as the CM face, the Capt. put his foot down and forced the Congress high command to back off. Rahul Gandhi’s lieutenants in Punjab have been targeting him, of late, but he has just ignored them.
A story that one often hears in Congress circles is when a party leader once suggested to Amarinder that he should start calling Rahul Gandhi “Rahul ji”. The CM laughed it off, saying he was Rajiv Gandhi’s classmate in Doon School and so Rahul should call him ‘uncle’. It may be an apocryphal story but it shows how Congressmen regard Amarinder for holding his own.
At 78, Capt. Amarinder Singh seems to be losing his mojo as he falters in dealing with the farmers’ agitation. He seems inclined to comply with Rahul Gandhi’s wishes and look away when vandals threaten to throw Punjab into turmoil, again.
Amid this looming political crisis, Amarinder also has to deal with Central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, which has summoned his son, Raninder, in a FEMA violation case.
As the adage goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. But the moot question is whether Capt. Amarinder Singh is still the tough politician that he was once.
Also read: BJP’s Harinder Khalsa who quit party over farm laws is ex-IFS officer, had stints in AAP, SAD