Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh has resigned from Lok Sabha along with his Congress legislators from the state assembly to play to the gallery and to foment trouble in politically highly charged state.In a statement issued here today, secretary general Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said that if the Punjab Congress was so aggrieved by the Apex Court advisory to the President, why party’s other Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members did not follow suit and are still gluedto their seats.Amarinder’s claim that all party MPs had offered to quit but he advised them to “fight it out the SYL- issue in parliament” is not only afterthought but preposterous. If he wanted party MPs to fight it out, why he did not decide to join them and fight from the front instead of letting his minions alone slog it out. Does he think himself totally incompetent to do the job or defending Punjab interests was of insignificant that he preferred to sit at home, asked Dhindsa.In fact, no Congress MP would toe his line. They often resort to war of attritions and a divided Congress has no locus-standi to speak on any issue with conviction.
Septuagenarian SAD leader Dhindsa advised the Congress leaders to quit en mass the party because it was the Congress high command especially under Indira Gandhi which squandered Punjab’s interests including depriving it of its waters, its capital and Punjabi speaking areas that legitimately belonged to Punjab. In fact, it was she started digging of contentious Sutlej – Yamuna Link canal with herself effecting first ceremonial cut with silver hoe in presence of Amarinder Singh way back in 1978. “ She is s root cause of the present crisis”, he added.Besides, senior Akali leader said that Amarinder should at least explain to people of Punjab how the en mass resignation of his legislators would help in protecting the waters of the state.“The entire Punjab Congress leadership should desert the anti Punjab Congress party en mass. Mere drama of resigning from state assembly which is on its last leg or Amarinder quitting Lok Sabha, where he never had his heart and very rarely showed his face would be of no consequence. Any how, Amarinder had been itching to quit Lok Sahha and now he had an excuse too”, quipped Dhindsa.The Akali leader dubbed he high pitch rattling of Congress a mere farce aimed to garner support for ensuing elections and is completely divorced from protection of interests of Punjab.