Amarinder files nomination for Amritsar seat

Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh Friday filed his nomination papers as the Congress candidate for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, where he take on BJP's Arun Jaitley.

Accompanied by his wife and Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, who is the minister of state for external affairs, son Raninder and daughter Jai Inder Kaur, Amarinder filed his nomination before returning officer Ravi Bhagat.

Talking to media after filing his nomination papers, Amarinder lashed out at his opponent Jaitley, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, for not having a clear stand on the issue of terrorism in Punjab.

Questioning the silence of the Bharatiya Janata Party leader on the issue of killing of nearly 35,000 people during the time terrorism (1981-1992), Amarinder said: "Is Mr Jaitely scared of his Akali patrons lest it annoys them."

The BJP had dumped its sitting MP from Amritsar, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, from this seat this time and fielded Jaitley instead. Sidhu, who won from here in 2004, 2007 (by-election) and 2009, has not campaigned for BJP or Jaitley in Amritsar so far.