Chief Minister of Punjab
FULL NAME– Amarinder Singh
PROFESSION– Politician
BORN– 11th March 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH– Patiala
FATHER NAME –Yadavindra Singh
MOTHER NAME – Mohinder Kaur
SPOUSE –Preeneet Kaur
SIBLINGS -1 Brother (Malwinder Singh),2 Sisters (Rupinder Kaur, Heminder Kaur)
CHILDREN -1 Son (Raninder Singh), 1 Daughter (Jai Inder Kaur)
EDUCATION –Graduated from NDA, Pune and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun
POLITICAL PARTY- Indian National Congress
REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT– He received CM award with honor by Former President Shri Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi for revolutionary ideas of clean governance to take Punjab on the path of development.
AWARDS – Ideal CM Award.
Captain Amarinder Singh is the 26th Chief Minister of Punjab. He is politically affiliated to the Indian National Congress.
BACKGROUND – After graduation he joined Indian Army but in 1965 he resigned because his services were needed at home. During the Indo-Pak war(1965) he rejoined the army, served as a captain there. In 1980 he inducted with Congress because Rahul Gandhi was his friend in school.
UPBRINGING&EDUCATION – His father was ambassador to Rome and Mother was in the Lok Sabha. Graduated from NDA, Pune and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
WALK OF LIFE- He has written books on war and Sikh history which include A Ridge Too Far, Lest We Forget, The Last Sunset: Rise and Fall of Lahore Durbar and The Sikhs in Britain: 150 years of Photographs. His most recent works include Honour and Fidelity: India’s Military Contribution to the Great War 1914 to 1918 released in Chandigarh on 6 December 2014, and The Monsoon War: Young Officers Reminisce – 1965 India-Pakistan War- which contains his memoirs of the 1965 Indo-Pak war. He has a special interest in sports like Polo, Riding, Cricket, Squash and Badminton.
MAJOR INITIATIVES TAKEN- On 8th March 2021 (International Women’s Day) 2,047 master cadre women teachers as well as Sanja Shakti helpdesks and 181 Sanjh Shakti helpline for women at all police stations, with women operators to predominantly man the same for prompt and sensitive response to crimes against women.
POSITION HELD-
1980- Captain Amarinder Singh was inducted into the Congress by Rajiv Gandhi and was first elected to the Lok Sabha. Rajiv and Amrinder were school friends.
1984- He quit from Parliament and from Congress Party as a protest against the Army action during Operation Blue Star. Subsequently, he joined the Shiromani Akali Dal.
1985- Amrinder Singh was elected to Punjab Assembly from Talwandi Sabo seat. He defeated Avtar Singh of Congress Party. Later he became a minister in the state government for Agriculture, Forest, Development, and Panchayats.
1992- He resigned from the Akali Dal to form a splinter group named Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic) which later merged with the Congress.
1998- Amrinder Singh contested Punjab Assembly election from Patiala constituency but lost against Prem Singh Chandumajra. Later he merged Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic) with the Congress and joined his old friends.
1999- He was appointed as the President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. He served this post till 2002.
2002- He became Chief Minister of Punjab. 26 February 2002. He served his first tenure as CM till 1 March 2007.
2008-He was appointed as chairman of Punjab Congress Campaign Committee.2010-President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (2010 to 2013)
2014- He was elected as the Member of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for five terms representing Patiala (Urban) thrice, Samana and Talwandi Sabo once each. He was Member, Standing Committee on Defence and Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Defence from 1 Sep. 2014 – 23 Nov. 2016.
2015- He was elected as President of Punjab Congress.
2016- He resigned from Loksabha on 23 Nov. 2016 and fully dedicated himself for Punjab, Assembly elections.
2017- Congress won the Assembly Elections with the majority, and Capt. Amarinder Singh became CM. He took oath as the 26th Chief Minister of Punjab.
CONTROVERSIES/CASES –He met friends from Pakistan, one an attractive, fifty-year-old journalist Aroosa Alam. He had met her earlier in 2006 at a South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) function in Jalandhar and later they come closer which affected his family, his actions led to a realignment of his relationship with every member of his immediate family as well as with the extended family and friends who objected to this growing affection. The Aroosa connection must mean a lot to him – she has been beside him as much as possible even after a decade.
Amarinder’s sudden disappearance from Punjab along with take his friends to pay obeisance at the revered Ajmer Sharif Dargah (shrine), which was extended by one day due to foggy conditions in Punjab (the aircraft could not land there), provided the Akalis with a lot of ammunition to target the chief minister.