CM Amarinder Singh could hold up his chin in moments of worst crisis and still carry the day. This press conference, after the brouhaha at the national level, saw him in his elements. You will feel that from the opening line of his conference, which is also the opening line of the story. The moment he uttered the line, there was no doubt in my mind that this is how the story will begin.
Capt plays to the gallery, works the back-channels
S P Singh
Chandigarh
“YOUR beleaguered Chief Minister is back,” Amarinder Singh announced, almost gleefully, as he faced the Punjab media for the first time since his move to block the SYL canal caused a political earthquake in New Delhi.
Mindful of the state-level heroism thrust upon him, and caught amidst the outrage elsewhere, he played martyr to the hilt. He dodged questions on what the Prime Minister had said to him, though he did not deny any harsh words.
When a reporter hesitantly asked him about his meeting with Dr Manmohan Singh, the Chief Minister finished the question for him: “You mean did the Prime Minister give me a tongue-lashing? Well I can’t discuss what happened between me and the PM. That is confidential.”
To him, the more serious issue was the degree of flak that Punjab’s move had drawn. “People are not viewing us as the aggrieved party but as the villain,” he said.
But beyond the grandstanding, he did make two points: That the time for political solutions was long past and the matter would only be settled in courts, for which he had assembled a high-powered team.
The Indian Express also understands that Amarinder has not exactly wasted the past couple of days in New Delhi. Apart from explaining their legal position, his team has been speaking to party leaders about one possible fallout of this controversy: The return of terrorism.
At the press conference the Chief Minister could only say that 16 lakh people would lose their livelihood if the SYL canal went ahead and deprived some parts of Punjab of water. “Some problems can take Punjab to the bad old days,” he added.
But behind the scenes The Indian Express understands, Punjab has been elaborating on this point to the Centre. It has pointed out that the terrorist problem began almost immediately after the SYL project got the go-ahead in 1982. And to show that militancy still holds fascination for some, it has spoken of how Sarabjit Singh, the son of Indira Gandhi’s assassin Beant, garnered more than one lakh votes in the recent elections despite being a complete novice.
Punjab’s politicians have been trying to argue that water is such an emotive issue in the state that it can easily bring back a threat that has been quelled.
But in realpolitik, the argument may not work. Amarinder himself admitted at the press conference that negotiations were pointless as neither he nor Haryana would yield ground. “The situation has moved beyond that,” he said.
That left him with the legal option. “I am not defiant of the Supreme Court,” he said. “But I am determined (to uphold Punjab’s interests).”
Asked if he regretted his move, he shot back: “Do I look remorseful?”
And if he was beleaguered, he did not look it either.
July 16, 2004■