In combat mode, eyeing last hurrah

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

It’s 9 am. Silence prevails at the Chandigarh residence of Punjab Congress chief and former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. A lone sentry guards the entry gate.

Half-an-hour later, the mansion springs to life as Amarinder’s close associates and well-wishers start descending on the place — eagerly waiting for the Patiala royal scion to begin the day’s proceedings. The central hall resounds with the buzz of an animated discussion. The topic: How to win over the dissidents who are hell-bent on contesting.

Within moments, they all start jostling to grab the attention of Amarinder, a former soldier who is firmly in the combat mode — wearing a black woollen long coat over a kurta pyjama and sporting the party scarf.

Exuding confidence, he exclaims, “I will usher in a naya savera (new dawn) in Punjab. I’m going to give (Parkash Singh) Badal a sound thrashing in Lambi,” drawing applause from the listeners.

It’s a chilly morning and he’s already on medication for a sore throat. The foggy weather upsets his plan of flying to Malwa to address rallies in Bassi Pathana, Payal and Amloh. He is advised to take the road route.

An hour later, seated in his Toyota Fortuner, he goes through the day’s itinerary and memorises crime figures that he has to reel off in his speeches.

“Beta eh jammer band karo (turn off the mobile jammer),” he tells one of his OSDs (who is at the wheel), directing him to call up an adamant rebel in Jalandhar. “What will you achieve by standing against the party candidate? We are forming the government, I will accommodate you. It’s my promise,” he tells the person on the phone. Similar calls are made to other rebels en route the first destination of the day, Bassi Pathana.

“The Badals and Arvind Kejriwal are alike in many ways. One has plundered the state’s wealth and the other isn’t bothered about Punjab,” he adds.

He makes it clear that this election is all the more important for him as it’s his last. “I have already announced to hang my boots. My son, Raninder Singh, is interested in politics and he’s holding the fort for me in Lambi. My daughter, Jai Inder Kaur, always helps her mother in Patiala.”

On the way to the town, he betrays a weakness for sweet somethings. His cavalcade makes an unscheduled halt at a make-shift jiggery-making unit at Jhanjheri village, near Chunni (Fatehgarh Sahib).

The former CM shakes hands with Bahadur Shah, owner of the unit, while taking a bite of the fresh gur. “You know, I can’t take sugar, but I also can’t resist jaggery,” he admits with a smile. “Every dish of mine must have potato,” he hastens to add.

In no time, he is thronged on the roadside by passersby, who halt to greet him and take selfies with him. “This support is making me stronger by the day,” he says while posing for photos.

Between calls from party leaders, who are working hard to pacify the dissidents, he tells his OSD not to stop the vehicle ahead of the rally venue at Bassi Pathana as they are behind schedule.

However, he does spend a few minutes with local Akali leader Kanwar Rajesh Pall Singh Lali, who’s now in the Congress camp.

At the rally in support of party candidate Gurpreet Singh GP, he immediately connects with the gathering by blaming the Badals for ruining the state with their lootmaar (plunder).

“Babey nu Lambi vich kuttanga,” he thunders at the rally in Payal, from where the party has fielded Lakhvir Singh Lakha.

At Mandi Gobindgarh, Amarinder seeks votes for Kaka Randeep Singh. He highlights the plight of the industry, saying that many industrialists have left the state. He promises good governance, and the audience seems to be latching on to every word of his. The enthusiastic response keeps him in high spirits.