Congress leader Sachin Pilot has said “Anything is possible in politics” amid speculation that former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh could return to the Congress, while noting that he has not spoken to the veteran leader about his future political plans.
In an interview with PTI Videos, Pilot, the Congress’ Punjab in-charge, praised Singh, popularly known as Captain, saying he had served Punjab “well” and was a “man of a very tall stature”.
Asked about Singh’s recent critical remarks against the BJP and speculation over his possible return to the Congress, Pilot said, “As far as Captain sahab is concerned, I've known him personally since I was very young. And I've worked closely with him. Personally, I've not had any interaction with him on this particular issue. But like they say, politics mein 'kuch bhi ho sakta hai' (Anything is possible in politics)?”
“I mean, who knows? I think he's actually, just like me, part of the armed forces. He's served Punjab well. And he's a man of a very tall stature, certainly. How the BJP has taken to him, I'm not sure,” Pilot said.
“I've seen those comments that you're referring to. But I've not spoken to him personally about what his future plans are about joining or leaving any party,” he added.
On whether a leader of Singh’s stature would expect a senior position upon returning to the Congress, Pilot said, “I don't know what he's (Captain) thinking. I've not spoken to him or had any communication on that front. Time will tell what happens. I can't say anything right now.”
Captain Amarinder Singh’s discontent with BJP
Singh last month expressed discontent over the BJP not consulting him on Punjab. He said it was his duty to tell his party what he felt about the state and clarified that his remarks did not mean he was quitting the BJP.
Singh also said he was going through "difficult times" but did not elaborate further.
Speculation about his possible return to the Congress gained traction in August after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi named Singh as his favourite politician from the BJP during an ‘Ask me’ session on Instagram.
Reacting to Gandhi’s remarks, Singh said his personal relationship with the Gandhi family would always remain, but his political commitment was to the BJP.
Singh quit Congress in 2021
Singh was once among the Congress’ strongest regional leaders and led the party to a landslide victory in the 117-member Punjab Assembly in 2017, becoming chief minister for the second time.
However, amid infighting in the party’s Punjab unit, he resigned as chief minister and quit the Congress in 2021. He subsequently formed the Punjab Lok Congress (PLC), which he later merged with the BJP after it failed to win any seat in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.
Singh’s wife and former MP Preneet Kaur, son Raninder Singh and daughter Jai Inder Kaur are also with the BJP.