What anguished Amarinder wrote to Sonia Gandhi before resigning

Amarinder Singh wrote to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi hours before resigning as chief minister of Punjab on Saturday that he was “anguished at the political events of the last five months”.

Apprising her of his decision to quit, he reportedly said: “I hope this will not cause any damage to the hard-earned peace and development in the state, and that the efforts I have been focusing during the last few years, would continue unabated, ensuring justice to one and all.”

The letter by Singh, widely reported in the media, has the Captain saying that (Punjab) “has many geo-political and other internal security concerns, which I tried to handle effectively without any compromise.”

The 79-year-old former CM also listed and defended his record in the state, saying that his government had fulfilled 89.2 percent of promises made ahead of the 2017 election, and that work was on in the rest of the commitments.

NDTV reported that Singh defended himself in the case related to the desecration of a religious text, in which he has been accused by rival Navjot Singh Sidhu of delay in ensuring justice.

Singh said his administration had charge-sheeted 24 people, suspended 15 police personnel and arrested 10 civilians. “… criminal proceedings are currently underway, and I am sure justice will be done in due course,” he wrote.

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Soon after resigning on Saturday, the former CM spoke his mind on Sidhu, calling him “anti-national, dangerous, unstable, incompetent and a total disaster”. He also made it clear that he would oppose Sidhu’s candidature as chief minister.

Singh also told Sonia that he wished the best for his state and the Congress party. “The people of Punjab are looking to the Indian National Congress 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,” Singh told Sonia in his letter, adding that recent developments are “clearly not based on full understanding of the national imperatives of Punjab and its key concerns”.

NDTV reported that around 50 of the party’s 80 MLAs had earlier written to Sonia, asking for Singh to be replaced.

Also read: How Amarinder Singh went from Punjab’s Captain to Captain Cooked