Punjab polls: Cong president to decide on CM candidate, says Amarinder

Chandigarh: Congress’ party state chief Amarinder Singh said that the Congress President will decide on the chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab assembly polls and that no "deal" has been struck with new entrant Navjot Singh Sidhu, on Monday.

"There is no deal with Navjot Sidhu, Congress doesn't do deals with anybody," said Amarinder to reporters in Patiala when asked if Sidhu would be offered an important post if the party wins the assembly polls.

There has been no talk in this regard with Sidhu), he added.

When asked if he would be the CM candidate, Amarinder said, "I don't know, that is Congress President's decision."

"The entire campaign is being handled by me and you are asking me this question," he added in a lighter vein. Amarinder also said the former BJP MP Sidhu had himself stated that he was a "born Congressman". His father too had belonged to the party.

"I have known the family for a very long time. I have been watching Navjot Sidhu since his youth when he used to play cricket at Patiala. He has himself described his joining the Congress as his Ghar Vapsi," he said.

Two days back, Sidhu had joined the Congress after meeting party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

Sidhu had resigned from Rajya Sabha and then quit BJP following which his wife Navjot Kaur too joined Congress on November 28.

After his joining, Sidhu had said he was a "born Congressman" who was coming back to his roots and would be ready to work under anybody appointed by the high command and contest from where ever the party wants him to.

Amarinder also said that he would defeat Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) head and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on his home turf of Lambi in his last election.

He described Lambi as his 'karambhoomi' from where he would "teach" the Badal family a "lesson for the savagery and atrocities" they had allegedly unleashed on the people of Punjab over the past 10 years.

"Patiala is my janambhoomi. I started my political career from here and will end it here as it is my last elections. But over there (in Lambi), I want to teach Badals a lesson because they have destroyed Punjab. I want to defeat Badal," he said.

Amarinder also challenged Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal to come to Lambi and take on Badal.

"Kejriwal will know his position and where he stands," he said.