Shiv Sena slams Amit Shah's meet with Amarinder Singh as ex-Punjab CM exits Congress

The Shiv Sena on Saturday attacked the Centre for discussing the problems of a state with the "dismissed" Chief Minister. Referring to Captain Amarinder Singh, Sena's remarks came after the recent meeting between former Punjab Chief Minister and Union Minister Amit Shah in the national capital. Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece, Saamna opined that the Home Minister has no right to discuss border security with a former Chief Minister. It instead stated that if the matter of border security is important, then it should have been discussed with the incumbent Chief Minister of Punjab, Charanjit Singh Channi instead of Captain Amarinder Singh.

"Has anyone started infiltrating the border like Kashmir and Ladakh? If this issue is really important then the Home Minister should discuss it with the present Chief Minister of Punjab. What is this method of discussing the problems of the state with the dismissed Chief Minister? The central government is starting this new tradition, which is not fair," said Saamna.

'Amarinder woke up about border security': Shiv Sena

The Saamna editorial further attacked Captain Amarinder Singh for 'waking up' on the border security issue only after resigning as the Chief Minister of Punjab. It also alleged that Singh's decision to stay away from Congress would harm the grand old party. These remarks by Sena come after Singh announced that he met Amit Shah to discuss the ongoing farmers' agitation and urged him to resolve the crisis by immediately repealing the three farm laws.

"Pakistan is infiltrating every day, but after leaving the post of Chief Minister, Amarinder woke up about border security," said Saamna.

"Amarinder Singh had clarified that he will not go to the BJP, but after his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, it seems he will harm the Congress by staying out," it added. 

Sena demands 'full-time' Congress President

Earlier on Friday, Shiv Sena hit out at its MVA ally Congress and blamed it for preventing Rahul Gandhi from undertaking reforms in the party. In an editorial in Saamna, Sena leader Sanjay Raut hailed Rahul Gandhi to appoint a Dalit leader as the Chief Minister of Punjab and spoke about Navjot Singh Sidhu's resignation. Raut asserted that Congress could not fight back without a full-time president. 

"It is the wish of the people that Congress should wake up, enter the battlefield and usher in a new vigour in politics. But for that, Congress requires a full-time president. What is the use of a body without the head? There is no point in making concessions to Amarinder or Sidhu. BJP wants to swallow the Assembly by breaking Congress. This is funny. Even BJP cannot win without Congress and even BJP needs the Congress tonic. But when will the Congress leadership understand this?" he said 

Punjab Congress crisis

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu stepped down from his post barely a week after the Congress party appointed a new Chief Minister for the state. Sidhu affirmed that he will never compromise on Punjab's future and the agenda for the welfare of the state. Sources revealed that Sidhu was unhappy not only for being ignored for the CM's post but also for the appointment of Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota and Amar Preet Singh Deol as the DGP and Advocate General respectively.

Moreover, things stirred up when former CM Amarinder Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Delhi. Having resigned owing to the humiliation meted by the Congress leadership, Singh has ruled out joining BJP but vowed to defeat Sidhu from whichever seat he contests. However, sources told Republic TV that he will float a new party that will have a tacit understanding with like-minded parties in the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls. Meanwhile, Congress is likely to set up a coordination panel to address Sidhu's concerns.  

With ANI inputs 

Image: PTI