Chandigarh, Amid the ongoing row in Congress over Punjab, party's state in-charge Harish Rawat on Friday launched an attack at former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, saying that he should not side with the BJP. Rawat's remarks triggered a response from Singh, who said he was speaking 'nonsense'.
A day after Singh declared he was quitting the Congress soon but not joining the BJP, Rawat said Congress has always respected Singh.
"The kind of statements that have come over the last few days, it seems he (Amarinder Singh) is under some kind of pressure. He is being used by the party in power as a mask. It is a question of saving Indian democracy, at a time like this we expected Amarinder Singh would stand with Sonia Gandhi and protect democratic values," he said.
"I'll add that Amarinder Singh should reconsider whatever he has said so far. He should not help anti-Punjab, and anti-farmer BJP," the former Uttarakhand CM added.
Responding to the comments, Singh, who resigned as the Punjab chief minister on September 18, said, "I said on the day of my resignation, long before meeting Amit Shah, that I'd been humiliated thrice by Congress."
"What Harish Rawat is saying is nonsense. Any suggestion of link between my humiliation remark and meet with Union Home Minister is nonsense," the veteran politician added.
In a statement shared by his media advisor, the leader said he had offered his resignation to party chief Sonia Gandhi three weeks before he eventually stepped down, but she had refused.
He said he was forced to resign ahead of the Congress Legislature Party meet, which was clearly called to oust him.
"The world saw the humiliation and insult heaped on me, and yet Mr. Rawat is making claims on the contrary. If this was not humiliation what was it," he said.
Singh said Rawat should 'step in his shoes'.
He said as recently as on September 1, Rawat had said that the next elections would be fought in his leadership, and questioned what changed. He also questioned why Navjot Singh Sidhu was given a free hand in insulting him and challenging his authority.
He also questioned why Sidhu was still being allowed to hold the party at ransom.
"If the party did not intend to humiliate me then why was Navjot Singh Sidhu allowed to openly criticise and attack me on social media and other public platforms for months? Why did the party allow the rebels, led by Sidhu, undermine my authority," Singh said.
Singh was in Delhi for three days, during which he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.
He said he discussed the farmers' protests with the Home Minister and urged him to repeal the new farm laws.
About his meeting with the NSA, Singh said it pertained to the security of Punjab.
Singh is expected to launch his own party after making it clear he was neither with the Congress or the BJP. The veteran leader is yet to declare his future plans.
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