Scotching speculation to the contrary, former PunjabChief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday made it clear he was notjoining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but had no intention of continuing inthe Congress either, which he said was going downhill with senior leaderscompletely ignored and not given a voice.
Denying any move to join the BJP, Captain Amarinder Singhsaid he would leave the Congress where he had been utterly humiliated and wasnot trusted.
"I will resign, will not stay in the party," hesaid, adding that he was still thinking through his options in the interest ofPunjab, whose security was the predominant priority for him.
"I will not be treated in this humiliating manner. Iwill not take such insults," he said, adding that his principles and beliefsdo not allow him to stay in the Congress.
Terming the senior Congressmen as the thinkers, who werecritical to the future of the party, the former Chief Minister said the youngerleadership should be promoted to implement the plans, which the senior leadersare best equipped to formulate.
Unfortunately, the seniors were being completelysidelined, he said, adding this was not good for the party. He also condemnedthe attack on Kapil Sibal's house by Congress workers only because he hadchosen to express views that were not palatable to the party leadership.
Expressing hope that Punjab would vote for the future ofthe state, he said his experience showed that the people of Punjab tend to votefor a single party or force, irrespective of the number of parties in the fray.
Misgovernance in Punjab would give Pakistan theopportunity to create trouble in the state and in the country, he said, addingthat his meeting with NSA Ajit Doval this morning focused around this issue.
Captain Amarinder had raised security concerns with HomeMinister Amit Shah too, along with the farmers' issue, during his meeting withthe latter on Wednesday.
Taking a dig at those who undermine the growing Pakistanithreat in Punjab, he said that such people were playing into the hands ofanti-India forces by being in denial mode. "They (Pak-backed elements) arekilling our soldiers every day, they are pushing weapons into the state throughdrones. How can we overlook these dangers," he added.
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Reiterating his opinion on Navjot Singh Sidhu, Captain Amarinder described him as a mere crowd puller who does not know how to carry his team along.
Pointing out that he had personally worked with many PCC chiefs, besides himself being one, he said he always resolved issues amicably, without indulging in theatrics like Sidhu.