By R. Paul Dhillon
SURREY – From humble beginnings as a son of a poor family from Boparai Kalan, Punjab to the heights of an MBBS degree and a practising doctor to the coveted IAS government officer and now to politics, Dr. Amar Singh has seen it all and done it all with integrity and a smile that has allowed him to be considered a Congress candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha (National polls) in India after a rough start in Punjab state politics in the last election when he was defeated by an AAP party candidate from Raikot constituency.
“I was happy being a Doctor in Punjab but I was encouraged to go into civil service in the IAS and I did so with one goal in mind to make progressive changes in the medical system and to help our citizens and I have now gone into politics with the same aim to bring change,” Singh told the LINK during an interview at the residence of local businessman Hardev Grewal.
Singh, who is in Surrey for a personal visit to attend a marriage, was the principle secretary to Madhya Pradesh Chief Ministe Digvijay Singh as well as serving in a number of State and national civil service positions including Food Corporation of India (FCI) where he was the Chief Managing Director overlooking a budget of 80,000 to 90,000 Crores.
He is currently on a number of Committees of the Punjab Congress including the election readiness committee for next year’s national polls where he hopes that a seat will be allotted to him to run.
Asked what are Congress’s chances of a return to power after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP-RSS dominance of national and many state governments, Singh said the outlook is good as there is a lot of backlash against the current government and the Congress party is working to make their national alliance stronger and he is hopeful that Congress will return to power.
He said he got into elected politics because he felt that it was the natural transition from being a bureaucrat to being a politician and his knowledge of the bureaucracy and connections to it’s ranks has been enormously effective in his transition to his new role.
“I wanted to change the system and bring progressive change and that’s why I got into politics side,” Singh said. “I come from a poor family but I’m proud of what I have accomplished and that too with integrity and my head held high and never taking a bribe. I feel good about that and also that my life’s work has been to make a positive change for the people of Punjab and India.”
He admits that politics is difficult but he credits the Punjab Congress party and his close relations with the Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh in helping him transition to his new role smoothly and with all the work he is doing in his constituency of Raikot – Singh hopes to make election success either in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls or the next Punjab polls.
