Amarinder accepts AAP effect in state

Ruling out any possibility of formation of a separate party by him, the Congress’ Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Capt Amarinder Singh, today accepted that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was very active at the ground level, but the Congress would be able to strike a chord with the youth of the state. Amarinder also rejected a suggestion extended by former Punjab Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal for formation of a coordination committee to iron out “minor differences” between the Punjab Congress leaders. He also asserted that the single leadership of the party in Punjab was the need of the hour. “See, the Congress is not the SAD. It has the tradition of a single leadership. There is no need for any coordination committee for the state unit. I am hopeful that the party high command will resolve all these issues within a short time,” said Amarinder. Asked about the outcome of his meeting with top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Amarinder said, “The meeting was held in a cordial manner. I cannot say anything beyond this as it is a confidential matter. All I can say is that a number of issues were discussed at the meeting.” Asked if the Congress high command was planning to replace the old leadership with young faces, Amarinder said 70 per cent Indian voters were young, but this did not mean that the party was going to shun the ‘Oldies’. “After all, experience is something that needs to be valued,” he said.