Fatehgarh Sahib MP Dr Amar Singh is a man of many talents. He completed his MBBS degree from Amritsar Medical College and later joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). In 2019, he took the political plunge and joined the Congress. He has been representing the Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab’s Ludhiana district.
Singh (71) has been an active advocate of farmers’ rights, professing a legally binding minimum support price (MSP) in the upcoming Budget session of Parliament. In an interview with The Statesman’s Agraj Pratap Singh, the parliamentarian throws light on his journey, the demand for a special package for his constituency and the work done by him for the people.
Q: From a physician to a bureaucrat to an MP, you have donned many hats. What has been your ultimate guiding force and strength?
A: It has been a very long and satisfying journey. From being born to poor farm labourer parents to having waited till teenage years to get a proper sweater to being able to become a doctor, an IAS officer and an elected MP, I thank God who has been very kind to me. Since the beginning, I have believed that the only way out of my poverty-ridden life was hard work. Each stage of life brings its share of lessons and I have been lucky enough to be able to use them in the next stage that life took me. The guiding force throughout my life has been to make people’s lives better. Having started from the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid, I have seen how good public services can actually change the lives of the poorest of poor.
Q: Talking of your parliamentary constituency, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Punjab, what is the current situation in terms of overall development and farmers well being there?
A: I have tried to bring on track many stalled projects like the railway overbridge in Mandi Ahmedgarh, Ambemajra flyover on GT road, renovation of Sirhind Railway Station, Rahon road project, renovation of Khanna focal point, among others. Few others will be started soon enough such as Doraha Railway over bridge and Halwara airport. However, given the historic significance of the area, a lot needs to be done. I have been demanding since 2019 a special package to develop world class infrastructure, and air and rail connectivity for Shri Fatehgarh Sahib. The industry in Mandi Gobindgarh, Khanna and Sahnewal needs special packages and GST (goods and services tax) relief. The constituency needs a government medical college and a major public university. Farmers too need relief in our area since the last two years have been very hard with floods, crop infections, extreme heat and lumpy skin disease. Neither the AAP–led Punjab government nor the Union government have provided the basic relief given the scale of disruption faced by farmers since 2022.
Q: What are your plans for your constituency, Fatehgarh Sahib? What has been the response of youth towards your party?
A: Firstly, given its historic significance, I shall continue to demand the special development package for Shri Fatehgarh Sahib. Due to my efforts during the last five years, around Rs 40-50 crore was released by the Centre but the development of world class infrastructure shall require a higher sum. We definitely need a medical college and a public university as people are forced to travel to Chandigarh and Ludhiana for the same. Good affordable education which focuses on employable skills is the need of the hour. Unless we re-direct our efforts towards understanding the needs of the economy in the next 5-10 years, we shall always struggle to generate enough employment for our youth. Youth are a vocal and significant force in our electoral system. I do not think any candidate or party can win elections unless the youth supports them.
Q: This is your second term in Lok Sabha. How was the contest different this time as compared to 2019?
A: Every election has its own set of challenges. Obviously, re-election campaigns are harder but even as a fresh face, one has to earn credibility and convince one’s voters. In Punjab, both the party and the candidate have been factors in deciding who the voters chose in the end in 2024 (general election).
Q: With a significant gain in seats for the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and also the improved strength of the opposition, how do you see its larger impact?
A: The verdict this year is for India’s democracy and the supremacy of the Constitution. Irrespective of the popularity of any politician or party, the people are supreme. It is a very healthy development and will lead to more space for people’s issues and far better accountability of the Union government.
Q: Your comment on Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition?
A: Rahul is the only person who has been battling Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and their social media army consistently since 2014. Name one other politician who has kept the same ideological clarity as far as opposing the BJP and its policies are concerned. He never wavered from his stand of protecting constitutional values and democratic rights. The ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ are symbolic of that commitment. Therefore, I feel he is the best person to lead us as the Leader of Opposition and he will do a tremendous job of making this government accountable to people’s issues.
Q: Your suggestion towards solving the problems of farmers in Punjab?
A: According to me, there are two broad areas of concern – economic and ecological. The economic issues can be solved if the central government brings in a law giving legal guarantee of MSP for all crops. Today, except paddy and wheat, the rest of the crops are procured below MSP. Along with the law, you need centralised procurement of other crops on the lines of paddy and wheat. Large corporate houses have got huge loan waivers since 2014 but we aren’t ready to give the same to our farmers? On the ecological front, we need to address the issue of decreasing water table and the impact climate change is having on crop cycles. Even Himalayan river water cannot be taken to be year round if severe climate change melts away the glaciers feeding them. A starting point is admitting that farmers are facing an economic and ecological crisis and then involving them, governments and the scientific community to devise solutions that are both effective and scalable for a country such as ours