After 1.5-year absence, Amarinder returns to make farm outreach, may campaign for bypolls

The 82-year-old two-term CM’s quality successful nationalist has travel up of the November 13 by-elections to 4 constituencies successful the state. It besides assumes value arsenic CM Bhagwant Mann has not visited immoderate mandis truthful acold contempt a procurement situation gripping the paddy harvest resulting successful its glut successful the mandis. The BJP has already named its candidates for each the 4 bypoll seats, who see ex-finance curate Manpreet Badal from Gidderbaha, Kewal Dhillon from Barnala, Ravi Karan Kahlon from Dera Baba Nanak, and erstwhile curate Sohan Singh Thandal from Chabbewal.

The ruling AAP and the main Opposition Congress person besides fielded their candidates for these seats vacated aft their MLAs got elected to the Lok Sabha successful the caller wide elections. While Barnala was represented by the AAP, the remaining 3 seats were held by the Congress.

Amarinder merged his outfit Punjab Lok Congress with the BJP successful September 2022, months aft helium discontinue the Congress aft its enactment replaced him with Charanjit Singh Channi arsenic the CM up of the February 2022 Punjab Assembly polls, successful which the AAP swept to power.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Amarinder had not campaigned for the BJP, citing wellness issues. He was past conspicuous by his lack from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies too. He had not adjacent campaigned for his woman Preneet Kaur, who contested from their location turf successful Patiala, unsuccessfully, connected the BJP ticket.

Of the 13 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP, warring the polls solo, drew a blank, portion its erstwhile state SAD managed to triumph conscionable 1 seat. The Congress and the AAP bagged 7 and 3 seats, respectively.

Amarinder was said to person made his past nationalist quality successful May 2023, erstwhile helium campaigned successful the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll for BJP campaigner Inder Iqbal Atwal, who mislaid the election. The BJP has been drafting occurrence from the farmers since the enactment of the now-repealed 3 cardinal workplace laws successful 2020. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the workplace protesters did not let the BJP leaders and candidates to run astatine respective places, particularly successful villages, and showed them achromatic flags.

On Friday, however, Amarinder got a “warm welcome” successful the Khanna mandi by farmers arsenic good arsenic arhtiyas (commission agents). An office-bearer of a section arhtiya relation praised him for “having successfully procured each the crops successful the authorities during his tenure arsenic the CM (of a Congress government) from 2002-2007 and past from 2017-2021”. An adjutant of Amarinder told The Indian Express that “he took the determination to conscionable the farmers successful the atom marketplace arsenic helium felt powerfully astir their cause”. He was conveyed by the constabulary that his question mightiness not beryllium harmless fixed the road blockade being held by the protesting farmers. “But Amarinder Singh insisted that helium would spell to conscionable the farmers successful the morning,” the adjutant said.

While interacting with the farmers, Amarinder assured them that helium would instrumentality up their issues with PM Modi soon. Recalling his 2 presumption arsenic the CM, helium claimed that his authorities had ensured procurement of the full wheat and paddy crops for 10 years. Taking a swipe astatine the AAP CM, helium asked wherefore Mann has not visited immoderate mandis truthful acold to conscionable the farmers and redress their grievances.

He said, “Agriculture is simply a authorities taxable and it is the work of the Punjab CM to get procurement, lifting and retention of grains done. If helium is having immoderate issues, helium indispensable regularly beryllium successful interaction with FCI and the Centre. I excessively worked with absorption governments during my tenure and farmers ne'er faced immoderate issue. As helium is hardly proactive and acrophobic astir the farmers, I volition sojourn Delhi. I person assured the farmers and Arthiyas that I volition impulse the cardinal authorities to intervene to guarantee a creaseless procurement.”

He added that erstwhile helium was the CM, procurement was ne'er an issue. “I utilized to instrumentality up the issues of the farmers with the Centre and they would merchandise money. What is stopping Bhagwant Mann from talking to the Centre? I americium amazed that helium is not adjacent visiting mandis to spot the plight of farmers. We elite a authorities for governance and not for it to support blaming the Centre for each tiny thing,” helium said, adding that helium was unwell and had gone for attraction extracurricular India. “Amarinder Singh whitethorn adjacent spell to run for Manpreet Badal and Kewal Dhillon,” his adjutant said. In his past campaigns, Amarinder had ever been projected arsenic the “kissani da raakha” (saviour of farmers).

Amarinder had spearheaded the Congress’s run successful the 2017 Assembly polls, erstwhile the enactment returned to powerfulness by winning 77 seats, defeating the past ruling SAD-BJP coalition. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls too, helium led the Congress’s run successful the state, helping it container 8 seats, with the SAD and the BJP winning 2 each.