Day after floating a new party, Amarinder Singh to meet Amit Shah in Delhi on farmers' stir

Chandigarh: A day after launching a new political party, former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will arrive in the national capital on Thursday to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah over farmers’ ongoing agitation against Centre’s three farm laws.

According to reports, Singh will lead a non-political delegation of agricultural experts to meet the Union Home Minister to discuss possible solutions to the ongoing farmers` agitation during his Delhi visit.

Disclosing this here on Wednesday, Amarinder Singh, who announced to float a new political party with seat sharing with parties, including the BJP, said he had been discussing various options with Home Minister Amit Shah, whom he will be meeting in Delhi again on Thursday, and others.

"I think I can help in finding a solution as I have been the Chief Minister of Punjab and am also an agriculturist," Amarinder Singh told a press conference.

While there could be no pre-decided formula for resolution of the farmers` stir, something will emerge during the talks as both sides - the Central government and farmers - want a resolution to the crisis triggered by the farm laws, he said.

Making it clear that he had not met any farmer leaders, the former Chief Minister said he had deliberately not interfered in the matter as the farmers did not want politicians involved.

The farmer leaders had four inconclusive meetings with the Centre but backchannel talks have been going on, he added.

Amarinder Singh had earlier said any seat arrangement he made with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be subject to a resolution of the farmers` issue in their interest.

In a much-awaited press conference on Wednesday, Singh on Wednesday said his newly announced political party will contest the upcoming elections from all 117 assembly seats in Punjab. 

Addressing media, Captain claimed several Congress workers are going to join his new party.

"When the time comes, we will fight all 117 seats, whether we fight in adjustment or we fight on our own only time will tell... Plenty of Congress workers is coming in... We are waiting for an appropriate moment," Amarinder Singh said.

He also made it clear that the process of launching a new political party is ongoing and he will disclose the name and symbol once confirmed by the Election Commission.

"Yes, I will be forming a new party. The name will be announced once the Election Commission clears it, along with the symbol. My lawyers are working on it," added former CM.

In the tweets earlier, Singh had also claimed that his new political outfit might form an alliance with the BJP too if the issues of farmer protest are resolved in the interest of farmers.

Singh resigned last month as the chief minister and had announced that he will be quitting the Congress after months of a rift with Congress state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

He had resigned ahead of Congress legislature party meeting which was called amid unending factional battles in the ruling Congress in the state. 

Singh was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister of the state. Punjab is slated to go through assembly polls in 2022.

In 2017 Assembly polls, Congress had won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years. Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP secured 3 seats.