Amarinder Singh: Difference between revisions

'''[[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 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 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 [[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}}