Amarinder bats for Rahul as PM face for joint oppn alliance in 2019 polls

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today backed Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of a joint opposition alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

At the extended meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), he also supported senior party leader P Chidambaram's views on the need for a broad-based alliance with other opposition parties.

Reiterating his earlier stand, Singh said Rahul was fully competent to lead the country and would surely prove to be a successful prime minister.

He said the Congress should explore all alliance possibilities for next year's Lok Sabha elections and Rahul should lead the joint opposition front to oust the 'divisive' BJP-led NDA from power.

"The alignments will have to happen at the national level. Whatever call the national leadership will take on alliances and whatever they decide will apply to the states," he told reporters at Parliament House Annexe after addressing the meeting.

The Punjab chief minister said alliances for the Lok Sabha polls would be worked out by the party at the national level, with the state units following suit.

Asked if he was open to an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which the Congress had routed in Punjab, he said, "This is a decision to be taken at the national level. The alliances will be dependent on where the central leadership takes us. And wherever it takes us, we will go."
"I have promised them (the high command) Punjab, and will give it to them," he said, adding that he had also told them, "if you want to use us elsewhere too, we are there."