Capt Amarinder meets PM Modi, bats for SAD-BJP alliance in Punjab

Former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday, where he reportedly advocated for a coalition between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the forthcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The two-time chief minister was accompanied by his daughter Jai Inder Kaur, who is the state women’s wing president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) . Ahead of his meeting, Captain Amarinder Singh told a news channel that he was in favour of an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is led by his one-time rival Sukhbir Singh Badal. It is the first time that Captain Amarinder Singh, who has kept a low profile since he joined the saffron party a year ago, has publically supported the SAD-BJP alliance.

“I have conveyed it to the party’s national president JP Nadda that an alliance with the SAD will be advantageous in Punjab,” said Captain. Two other senior BJP leaders, including party state president Sunil Jakhar and former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, are also in favour of an alliance.

After meeting the Prime Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh said he was looking forward to an early resolution to the farmers’ issue. Pertinently, the former Punjab chief minister had backed the farmer’s movement to the hilt, and had also facilitated their movement to New Delhi in the first half of 2021, before the Captain was replaced. The former CM had also supported the farmers financially by giving financial aid and government jobs to the farmers who died during the protest.

It is being speculated that Preneet Kaur, who is the sitting MP from Patiala, may vacate the seat for her daughter Jai Inder Kaur. Her accompanying with her father during his meeting with the Prime Minister is also being seen as a strong indicator of her electoral ambitions from the erstwhile princely state, which has traditionally been the royal family’s bastion.