Amarinder Singh: Difference between revisions

| deputy1 = [[Rajinder Kaur Bhattal]] (from 6 January 2004) | governor1          = [[J. F. R. Jacob]]<br />[[O. P. Verma]]<br />[[Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai]] (additional charge)<br />[[Sunith Francis Rodrigues]]

| constituency3      = [[Patiala Assembly constituency|Patiala]]

| constituency5      = [[Samana Assembly constituency|Samana]]

| constituency6      = [[Talwandi Sabo Assembly constituency|Talwandi Sabo]]

| constituency7      = [[Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency|Amritsar]]

| constituency8      = [[Patiala Lok Sabha constituency|Patiala]]

| party              = [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]

| otherparty          = {{bulletlist|[[Punjab Lok Congress]]|[[Indian National Congress]]|[[Shiromani Akali Dal]]|[[Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic)]]}}

'''[[Captain (Indian Navy)|Captain]]''' '''Amarinder Singh''' (born 11 March 1942),<ref>{{cite web|last1=Quint|first1=The|title=Punjab Live: Modi Congratulates Amarinder, Wishes Him Happy B'Day|url=https://www.thequint.com/punjab-elections-2017/2017/03/10/punjab-election-results-counting-day-aap-congress-akali-bjp|website=The Quint|access-date=11 March 2017|date=10 March 2022}}</ref> is an [[Indian people|Indian]] politician, military historian, former royal and Indian Army veteran who served as the 15th [[Chief Ministers of Punjab (India)|Chief Minister of Punjab]].<ref name="auto">{{cite news|title=Amarinder Singh sworn in as Punjab CM|url=http://www.thehindu.com/elections/punjab-2017/amrinder-singh-sworn-in-as-punjab-cm/article17471142.ece|access-date=16 March 2017|agency=The Hindu|work=The Hindu|date=16 March 2022}}</ref> A former [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Member of the Legislative Assembly, Punjab]] and [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Goswami|first1=Dev|title=Punjab election results 2017: Full list of winners|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/final-punjab-election-results-2017-full-list-of-constituences-winners/1/902502.html|website=indiatoday.intoday.in|publisher=Living Media India Limited|access-date=16 March 2022}}</ref> he was also the president of [[Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Congress in States – Punjab|url=http://inc.in/organization/13/133-Congress-in-States-Punjab|website=inc.in|publisher=All India Congress Committee.|access-date=16 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316204738/http://inc.in/organization/13/133-Congress-in-States-Punjab|archive-date=16 March 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> He has also previously served as the Chief Minister of Punjab from 2002 to 2007 and 2017 to 2021.<ref name=who>{{cite news|title=Who is Capt Amarinder Singh? Everything you need to know|url=http://indianexpress.com/elections/punjab-assembly-elections-2017/who-is-capt-amarinder-singh-everything-you-need-to-know/|access-date=16 March 2017|agency=Express Web Desk|work=The Indian Express|date= 16 March 2022}}</ref> His father was the last [[Maharaja of Patiala|Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala]].<ref name=who/> He has also served in the [[Indian Army]] from 1963 to 1966.<ref>{{cite news|title=Captain Amarinder back in charge in Punjab for second time|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/mar/16/captain-amarinder-back-in-charge-in-punjab-for-second-time-1581983--1.html|access-date=16 March 2017|agency=PTI|publisher=The New Indian Express|date= 16 March 2022}}</ref> In 1980, he won a seat in the [[Lok Sabha]] for the first time.<ref name=who/> As of November 2022, Singh also serves as the chairman of the Punjab Urdu Academy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.punjaburduacademy.com/|title=Punjab Urdu Academy|website=www.punjaburduacademy.com|language=en|access-date=16 February 2022}}</ref> Captain Singh resigned as the Chief Minister of Punjab on 18 September 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title="Humiliated" Amarinder Singh Quits As Chief Minister, Says Options Open|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/amarinder-singh-quits-as-chief-minister-under-pressure-from-congress-2545375|access-date=19 September 2021|website=NDTV.com}}</ref> On 19 September, 2022 he merged his party [[Punjab Lok Congress|PLC]] with BJP and joined BJP on the same day.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Sanjeev Verma|date=Sep 16, 2022 |title=Former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh to merge his PLC with BJP on September 19 {{!}} Chandigarh News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/former-punjab-cm-captain-amarinder-singh-to-merge-his-plc-with-bjp-on-september-19/articleshow/94244844.cms |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>

Singh was born on 11 March 1942 in [[Patiala|Patiala City]], [[Patiala State]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab Province]], [[British India]] into a royal [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] [[Jatt Sikh]] family of the [[Sidhu]] clan to parents [[Maharaja]] Sir [[Yadavindra Singh]] and [[Maharani]] [[Mohinder Kaur]] of Patiala. Amarinder Singh's family belongs to the [[Phulkian sardars|Phulkian]] dynasty.<ref name="Khushwant">{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Khushwant|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q82MDgAAQBAJ|title=Captain Amarinder Singh: The People's Maharaja: An Authorized Biography|date=15 February 2017|publisher=Hay House, Inc|isbn=978-93-85827-44-0|language=en}}</ref> He attended the [[Loreto Convent, Tara Hall, Shimla|Loreto Convent]] in [[Shimla]], and [[Lawrence School, Sanawar|Lawrence School]] in [[Kasauli]], [[Solan District]], before going to [[The Doon School]] in [[Dehradun]].<ref name="Khushwant"/><ref>{{Cite news | title = Seven Doscos in 15th Lok Sabha | newspaper = [[The Indian Express]] | date = 31 May 2009 | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/news/seven-doscos-in-15th-lok-sabha/468807|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603055538/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/seven-doscos-in-15th-lok-sabha/468807/|archive-date=3 June 2009|access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref> He has one son, [[Raninder Singh]], and one daughter, Jai Inder Kaur.<ref name="Khushwant"/> His wife, [[Preneet Kaur]], served as an [[Member of parliament (India)|Member of Parliament]] and was [[Minister of State]] in the [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]] from 2009 to October 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Members : Lok Sabha |url=http://loksabhaph.nic.in/Members/MemberBioprofile.aspx?mpsno=186 |website=loksabhaph.nic.in |access-date=2 September 2022}}</ref>

Singh served in the [[Indian Army]] from June 1963 to December 1966 after graduating from the [[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]] and the [[Indian Military Academy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/3171417|title=Profile – Amarinder Singh|website=Bloomberg}}</ref> He was commissioned into the [[Sikh Regiment]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Army's account of 1965 war padded, says Capt's new book|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/army-s-account-of-1965-war-padded-says-capt-s-new-book/story-vHDXxUPvtcMIolRmEoCgbI.html|work=Hindustan Times|access-date=13 March 2017|date=18 September 2022}}</ref> He served as the [[aide-de-camp]] to the [[General Officer Commanding-in-Chief]] [[Western Command (India)|Western Command]], [[Lieutenant General (India)|Lieutenant General]] [[Harbaksh Singh]], from December 1964.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/but-for-gen-harbakhsh-punjab-would-ve-been-lost-in-1965-war-capt/story-ywTANLwiBwpd3fkDvXLAHM.html|title=But for Gen Harbakhsh, Punjab would've been lost in 1965 war: Capt|date=30 August 2015|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=2 January 2020|archive-date=2 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102193112/https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/but-for-gen-harbakhsh-punjab-would-ve-been-lost-in-1965-war-capt/story-ywTANLwiBwpd3fkDvXLAHM.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> He left the army in early 1965 to look after his family but returned to service with the start of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|1965 Indo-Pakistan War]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/amarinder-singh-welcomes-honour-to-major-leetul-gogoi-who-tied-kashmiri-protester-to-jeep-1696937|title=Amarinder Singh Welcomes Honour To Officer Who Tied Protester To Jeep|website=NDTV.com|access-date=2 January 2022}}</ref>

In 1992 he broke away from the [[Akali Dal]] and formed a splinter group named [[Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic)]] which later merged with the Congress in 1998 (after his party's crushing defeat in [[Vidhan Sabha]] election in which he himself was defeated from his own constituency where he got only 856 votes) after [[Sonia Gandhi]] took over the reins of the party. He was defeated by Prof [[Prem Singh Chandumajra]] from [[Patiala]] Constituency in 1998 by a margin of 33,251 votes. He served as the President of [[Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee]] on three occasions from 1999 to 2002, 2010 to 2013 and 2015 to 2017.

===Chief Minister of Punjab, First term===

In September 2008, a special committee of [[Punjab Vidhan Sabha]], during the tenure of a government led by [[Akali Dal]]-[[Bharatiya Janata Party]], expelled him on the count of regularities in the transfer of land related to the Amritsar Improvement Trust.<ref name="Dhananjay Mahapatra">{{Cite news | last = Dhananjay Mahapatra | first = Dhananjay | title = 'Amarinder's removal undemocratic' | newspaper = [[The Times of India]] | date = 27 April 2010 | url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-04-27/india/28137401_1_land-scam-punjab-assembly-amarinder-singh| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121103093103/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-04-27/india/28137401_1_land-scam-punjab-assembly-amarinder-singh| url-status = dead| archive-date = 3 November 2022}}</ref> In 2010, the [[Supreme Court of India]] held his expulsion unconstitutional on the grounds that it was excessive and unconstitutional.<ref name="Dhananjay Mahapatra"/>

 

He defeated senior [[BJP]] leader [[Arun Jaitley]] by a margin of more than 102,000 votes in 2014 general elections.

On 27 November 2015, Amarinder Singh was appointed President of Punjab Congress in the run up to Punjab elections slated for 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Amarinder appointed Captain of Punjab Congress |newspaper=[[Daily Post India]] |date=27 November 2015 |url=http://www.dailypost.in/editor-s-pick/53035-amarinder-appointed-captain-of-punjab-congress |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208222652/http://www.dailypost.in/editor-s-pick/53035-amarinder-appointed-captain-of-punjab-congress |archive-date=8 December 2015 }}</ref>

Punjab Lok Congress (PLC; English: ''Punjab People's Congress'') is an Indian regional political party, in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] founded by  Singh on 2 November 2021 after he resigned as [[List of chief ministers of Punjab (India)#Punjab (Since 1966)|Chief Minister of Punjab]] and quit the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref name="Foundation">{{cite news |title=Amarinder Singh resigns from Congress; announces new party Punjab Lok Congress |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/amarinder-singh-resigns-from-congress/article37304162.ece |access-date=3 November 2021 |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=3 November 2021}}</ref> The party was formed following a split in Indian National Congress in Punjab. Singh has announced that his party will contest on all 117 seats in [[2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=ANI|date=28 October 2021|title=Amarinder announces his party will contest all 117 Punjab assembly seats|work=Business Standard India|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/amarinder-singh-announces-his-party-will-contest-all-117-punjab-assembly-seats-121102701961_1.html|access-date=3 November 2021}}</ref> The party failed to win any seat in the elections.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Vasudeva |first=Vikas |date=2022-09-16 |title=Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh to join BJP on September 19 |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/former-punjab-cm-amarinder-singh-to-join-bjp-on-september-19/article65898428.ece |access-date=2022-09-18 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

 

In [[2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election]], Singh lost from the [[Patiala Assembly constituency|Patiala assembly constituency]] to [[Aam Aadmi Party]]'s [[Ajit Pal Singh Kohli]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Punjab election results 2022: Captain Amarinder Singh accepts defeat, congratulates AAP on victory |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/amritsar/punjab-election-results-2022-captain-amrinder-singh-loses-in-patiala/articleshow/90121478.cms |access-date=10 March 2022 |work=The Times of India |date=10 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The party failed to win any seat in the elections.

 

A few months after his election failure Singh along with his party merged into the Bharatiya Janata Party on 19 September 2022 after meeting with HM [[Amit Shah]] a few days before.<ref name=":0" />

He has also written books on war and Sikh history which include ''A Ridge Too Far'', ''Lest We Forget'', ''The Last Sunset: Rise and Fall of Lahore Durbar'' and ''The Sikhs in Britain: 150 years of Photographs''. Among his most recent works are ''Honour and Fidelity: India's Military Contribution to the Great War 1914 to 1918'' released in Chandigarh on 6 December 2014, and ''The Monsoon War: Young Officers Reminisce – 1965 India-Pakistan War''- which contains his memoirs of the 1965 Indo-Pak war.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/the-war-no-one-lost/|title=Book Review: The Monsoon War: Young Officers Reminisce – 1965 India-Pakistan War|date=24 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-09-21/news/66761141_1_great-war-new-book-1965-indo-pak-war|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160801164457/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-09-21/news/66761141_1_great-war-new-book-1965-indo-pak-war|archive-date=1 August 2016|url-status=dead|title=Amarinder Singh pens book on 1965 Indo-Pak war|last=PTI|date=21 September 2015|access-date=2 January 2022}}</ref>

{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br />for [[Patiala Lok Sabha constituency|Patiala]] |years=1980–1984}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br />for [[Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency|Amritsar]] |years=2014–2022}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief Ministers of Punjab (India)|Chief Minister of Punjab]]|years=26 February 2002 – 1 March 2022}}

[[Category:India MPs 1980–1984]]

[[Category:India MPs 2014–2019]]