From being 'Maharaja' of Patiala to serving in Indian Army, a look at life of Punjab's 15th Chief Minister Amarinder Singh
The 79-year old had steered Congress to a landslide victory in the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections.
Amarinder Singh on Saturday (September 18, 2021) stepped down as the Chief Minister of Punjab and the veteran Congress leader expressed that he felt 'humiliated' over the way his party handled the protracted crisis. Singh's resignation, notably, comes after a bruising power struggle with Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and at a time when the state is preparing to go polls.
Amarinder Singh is known as one of Congress' powerful regional satraps
Amarinder Singh, 79, is known as one of the Congress' powerful regional satraps and was instrumental in reviving the party in the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections.
The widely respected and popular leader had steered the Congress to a landslide victory in the 117-member assembly to occupy the chief minister's post for the second time.
Amarinder Singh began his political journey in 1980
Singh, known to be a close friend of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, began his political journey in 1980 when he was elected as an MP. However, he resigned from Congress and the Lok Sabha in protest against the entry of the Indian Army into the Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star in 1984.
He then joined the Akali Dal in 1985 and got elected to the Punjab assembly on an Akali Dal (Longowal) ticket in the 1995 elections. His first stint as Punjab chief minister was between 2002 and 2007.
Amarinder Singh did schooling from Sanawar and Dehradun
Amarinder Singh joined the National Defence Academy in 1959
Amarinder Singh has also seen action in Indo-Pak war
Amarinder Singh, notably, is one of the very few politicians who have seen action in the Indo-Pak war.
Once a leader of the Akali Dal, Singh, the 'scion of Patiala', in his short Army career, had fought in the 1965 war.
Even while announcing his exit on Saturday, Singh had said that as an Army man, he had a 'lot of will and would remain active' in the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab.
"I am not hanging my boots," he told reporters after stepping down.
Amarinder Singh is a son of late Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of Patiala
Portrait of Amarinder Singh
Singh is known to be a good cook
Singh is also known to be a good cook and had also recently hosted Indian Olympic medallists for a dinner. Singh was also seen serving his guests personally, straight out of the 'patilas' in which he had cooked his choicest dishes.
He has also penned several books including his memoirs of the 1965 Indo-Pak war.