Punjab CM dismisses Kejriwal's apology as 'antic'

He said the apology not only reflected the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor's political inexperience but also appeared to be a desperate attempt to reduce the burden of defamation cases

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal / File image PTI

New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday dismissed as "an antic" his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal's apology to Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. He said the apology not only reflected the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor's political inexperience but also appeared to be a desperate attempt to reduce the burden of defamation cases against him before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In conversation with journalist Vir Sanghvi at Rising India Summit here, Amarinder Singh said that Kejriwal was always "jumping here and there". "I don't know why he does that but this is no way for a Chief Minister to behave, irrespective of his lack of experience," he said. No government can function in isolation but Kejriwal had completely isolated himself, said the Chief Minister, adding that the AAP had completely lost ground in all states. Kejriwal seemed to have apologised to Majithia over drug charges possibly to prepare for next year's polls but the fact was that things had changed for the worse for him, he added. On the AAP future in Punjab, the Chief Minister said the party's legislators were totally disappointed and were reportedly looking for alternatives in order to safeguard their own future, adding the decline in the AAP had taken place over a period of time and its MLAs were completely disillusioned with their leadership. Citing the change in public mood, Amarinder Singh expressed the optimism that the Congress would form the next government at the Centre, either on its own or in a coalition with like-minded parties. Asked about the mood in the Congress following the Tripura results and the subsequent bypoll results in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, he said all political parties had their ups and downs. The Congress might be down at the moment but that did not mean it would always remain down, he said, expressing the confidence that there would be a change in 2019. "The TDP decision to disassociate themselves from NDA a year before the Lok Sabha elections showed the disenchantment in the ruling coalition and the prevailing mood of the nation, which was looking at a UPA sort of alliance as an alternative," he added. On Congress President Rahul Gandhi as the prospective Prime Minister, Amarinder Singh said he saw this to be an absolute possibility and that Rahul would make a good Prime Minister.