NEW DELHI: Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence here on Wednesday, raising speculation over his future in politics. Singh arrived in the national capital on Tuesday, days after he quit as the chief minister of Punjab.
The meeting assumes significance as Singh had not opened his cards but had claimed that he had not quit politics and would fight till the end. The veteran Congress leader had also launched a scathing attack on his bete noire, Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was appointed as the party's Punjab unit president.
Sidhu quit as the Punjab Congress chief on Tuesday. As regards his political future, Singh had said there were several options before him.
Singh's team has called it a "courtesy visit", leaving questions unanswered about his future plans.
The proposed Singh-Shah-Nadda meeting has triggered intense speculations about the Punjab Congress leader joining the BJP in the days to come. According to some reports, Amarinder Singh may be inducted into PM Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers as Union Agriculture Minister.
The BJP leaders, however, are tightlipped about Singh joining the party. A party leader said that any decision will be taken only by the central leadership and it will be appropriately communicated to everyone if it happens.
Sources said that the main agenda of discussion is the ongoing farmers' protests in Punjab and the political situation in the state.
"Singh can play an important role in placating the farmers, who are protesting against three farm laws for the last ten months, and also convince them to end the ongoing protest. The political situation in the state will also be discussed," sources said.
After four-and-a-half years at the helm, Amarinder Singh resigned as the Punjab CM on September 18 citing continued humiliation by the Congress leadership over the past two months.
He had resigned moments before a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party, which passed a resolution authorising Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take a decision on Amarinder’s replacement. He did not attend the meeting.
(With agency inputs)