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18-point agenda, Sidhu figure in Captain-Sonia meet
There was no discussion on cabinet rejig, says Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Rawat. He said the AICC chief advised that the state government and the party organisation have to work together
Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday informed Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi about the progress made on the 18-point to-do list and continuous criticism of the state government by newly appointed state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu ahead of next year’s assembly polls.
Amarinder, who was given the 18-point agenda by the party high command for implementation, was meeting the Congress chief for the first time since his trenchant critic’s appointment as the state unit president a little over a fortnight ago.
After the meeting, All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat said he (Amarinder) informed the Congress president about the action initiated by the state government on the agenda and the progress achieved.
Rawat said she advised that the state government and the party organisation have to work together. “The Congress president also asked me to ensure that both (Amarinder and Sidhu) work within their respective limits, but cooperate with each other,” he told journalists on continued factionalism in the state unit.
The chief minister updated Sonia on the steps to cancel the controversial power purchase agreements (PPAs), progress made in sacrilege and police firing cases and action taken against drugs, persons familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.
Amarinder termed the meeting as extremely satisfying. “Met @INCIndia president #SoniaGandhi ji in Delhi this evening to discuss various state related issues. Spent an extremely satisfying one hour with her,” the chief minister said in a tweet posted by his media adviser after the meeting.
The meeting was closely watched in the state Congress which has been gripped by a sense of disquiet due to the ongoing battle of wits between the rival camps. Sidhu was elevated as part of the high command-brokered formula to put up a united face, but the plan has not worked so far.
The new Punjab Congress chief and other detractors, who had rallied behind him, have continued to take digs at the government, questioning it on the 18-point agenda to try and corner the chief minister. Sidhu and cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had raised questions over the government’s handling of drug cases and action against gangsters, respectively.
Though the meeting came amid talk of a possible cabinet reshuffle, Rawat said there was no discussion on it. “The chief minister did stress the need for balance as there is no Valmiki minister,” he said.
Earlier, poll strategist Prashant Kishor called on Amarinder after he reached Delhi for his meeting with the Congress president. Kishor had resigned as the chief minister’s principal adviser last week, stating that he was a “temporary break” from active role in public life. Amarinder wanted Kishor, who had worked with him in 2017, to manage the party’s campaign again. Political circles in Delhi have been abuzz with talk of his induction into the Congress with a senior leadership role.
