Anguished at political events of last 5 months, did my best as CM: Amarinder Singh to Sonia Gandhi

In his letter to Sonia Gandhi hours before resigning as Punjab CM, Capt Amarinder Singh expressed his deep anguish at the political events of the last five months, notwithstanding which he did his best as chief minister.

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India Today Web Desk 

New Delhi

September 19, 2021

UPDATED: September 19, 2021 14:49 IST

In his letter to Sonia Gandhi, Captain Amarinder Singh said he did his best as the chief minister of Punjab (PTI photo)

Before he tendered his resignation from the post of Punjab chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh penned a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi informing her of his intention to step down.

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Amarinder Singh’s media advisor Raveen Thukral, who quit along with the outgoing Punjab CM, on Sunday tweeted excerpts from the letter, in which the Congress leader expressed his deep anguish at the political theatre playing out in the state in recent times.

“Anguished at political events of last five months, which were not based on full understanding of the national imperatives of Punjab and its key concerns,” Amarinder Singh wrote in the letter.

Stating that he had done his best as the chief minister of Punjab, which has many geo-political and other security concerns due to sharing a border with Pakistan, Amarinder Singh expressed satisfaction that during his stint in power, the state “remained fully peaceful, and there was complete communal harmony with no ill-will towards anyone.”

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Over the last nine-and-a-half years, Amarinder Singh said he had worked wholeheartedly for the welfare of the people of Punjab.

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“Not only did I establish the rule of law and ensured transparent governance, but maintained ethical conduct even in management of political affairs, winning 8 out of 13 seats in the Parliament Elections in 2019 and the PRI and ULB Elections decisively,” he wrote.

Concerned that the power tussle in the Punjab Congress would spell governance issues, Amarinder Singh said that the people of the state were looking to the party for “its mature and effective public policies, which not only reflect upon good politics, but also address the concerns of the common man that are specific to this border state.”

Putting aside his own feelings and difference with colleagues and higher-ups, the Congress leader wrote that he hoped that the recent political developments “won't damage hard-earned peace and development in Punjab, and the efforts I have been focusing on, would continue unabated, ensuring justice to one and all.”

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Captain Amarinder Singh resigned less than an hour before the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting was due to begin at the party headquarters in Chandigarh on Saturday. He is the only chief minister in Punjab in the last 24 years to have stepped down before the completion of a full five-year term.

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Singh's resignation came after a prolonged tiff with newly appointed Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, which led to factionalism within the Congress unit in Punjab.