My last battle, says Captain

Amitabh Shukla / Chandigarh

This could well be the last time that the Maharaja of Patiala will be leading the Congress in an electoral battle in Punjab. State party president and former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, at 70, says the time to quit is not too far — though he remains as fit and active as ever.

“I will be 74-75 by the time I end my tenure. This (politics) is not my bread and butter. I am only there for the people of the state and the party,” the Captain told The Pioneer in an interview at his house in Sector 10, overlooking the picturesque Leisure Valley in Chandigarh. “This (politics) is not my bread and butter. I am only there for the people of the state and the party,” he added.

The electoral tradition that no party has been repeated in the state post reorganization in 1966 has given confidence to the state leadership along with its aggressive campaign. No wonder the body language of PCC President and chief ministerial aspirant Captain Amarinder Singh is extremely positive.

“The ground level support is indicative of Congress victory. Whether it is urban or rural areas, people have made up their mind to throw out the Akalis. They have done nothing on the front of governance,” he said.

Personally, the polls have been a sort of a family setback for Amarinder even though for the first time there is no challenge to his leadership position from any Congress leader in the state. His younger brother, Malvinder Singh joined Shiromani Akali Dal on the eve of the polls, breaking his almost 4 decade old ties with the Congress.

“I don’t know why he did this,” said a puzzled Amarinder. But he is not surprised at the move of Malvinder, two years younger and a classmate of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the Doon school. “He met the Badals over two weeks ago and at that time, even the tickets were not finalised. Mrs (Sonia) Gandhi took the decision of fielding Raninder (his son) from Samana as he had successfully contained the Badals in Bathinda during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls,” he said. Malvinder had applied for a Congress ticket from Samana.

Amarinder is not perturbed at the large-scale rebellion which the party is facing post ticket announcement. “There were 1550 applicants, all leaders in their own right. They know that Congress is coming to power and want to be a part of it. We had to give tickets only to 117. So there is bound to be some disappointment,” he said, claiming that many of those who had decided to contest as independents have started meeting him and reconsidering their decision.

A veteran of many a battle, the Captain is perturbed at the economy of the state and is devising a strategy to take the state forward from near bankruptcy after the party comes to power. “Major policy change is required in agriculture. We have to move away from this paddy-wheat cycle and go for high value cash crops. All bottlenecks in the industrial sector will have to be removed. There are 47 lakh unemployed in Punjab. We have to take care of them,” said the former CM.

The PCC President rubbished the claims of SAD-BJP government on administrative reforms and bringing in Right to Service. “We started the Suvidha centres. This is an extension of that. But why should only the bureaucrats be accountable for delivery of services? Why the minister shouldn’t be held accountable as the head of the Department?” he asked, proposing that the ideal Right to Service would be one in which even the Minister is held accountable for the lapses in his department. “There has to be political accountability,” he asserts.

Amarinder described Manpreet Badal, the estranged nephew of CM Parkash Singh Badal, as a “young man in a hurry who does not practice what he preaches” and ruled out any post poll arrangement with his PPP saying, “Congress will get overwhelming majority”.

The Raja of Patiala also doesn’t think that the anti-incumbency of the UPA at the Centre would have any impact on the outcome or corruption charges at the Congress government. “Corruption is rampant in the Akali regime down to the lowest level. They (Badals) control mining of sand, transport business, media…How can anyone trust them?” he asks.

He is candid about his personal equations even though the Akalis have again raked up the issue of his “Pakistan connection” and his friendship with journalist Aroosa Alam. “I am not bothered about these things. I have friends all over the world, in all walks of life – in Pakistan, in United States…My friendship is not geared to keep anybody happy,” he said, without being defensive or coy about it. (14.1.2012)

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