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Cong chief decision binding, Sidhu must apologise: Capt
Chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh tells AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat that he will meet Sidhu only after the former minister apologises for derogatory remarks made against him
Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has refused to meet former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, seen as a favourite to become the new Punjab Congress president, till he tenders a public apology for his offensive tweets and statements against him.
Capt Amarinder, who is upset over the central leadership’s handling of factionalism in the Punjab Congress ahead of the elections, told this to Harish Rawat, the All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs, during a meeting on the impending revamp of the state unit, said Congress sources.
Rawat, one of the three members of the panel set up by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to resolve the crisis, discussed with the chief minister the names of probables and urged him to have a meeting with Sidhu, but Amarinder refused to meet him. “Capt told the state in-charge that he will not meet Sidhu till he tenders a public apology for putting out hundreds of derogatory tweets and statements in the media against him,” said a person aware of discussions between the two leaders.
Capt’s annoyance with Sidhu pertains to the latter’s tweets and a spate of media interviews accusing the CM of colluding with Badals, promoting mafia raj and allowing corruption in the government. Though several ministers had demanded action against Sidhu for repeatedly targeting the chief minister in public, the high command was not seen to have acted on this.
Also read: Hoardings greeting Navjot Sidhu as PPCC chief spring up in Amritsar
‘New state chief will be accepted by all’
The two-time CM, who is opposed to having his trenchant critic in the top party position in the state, also told Rawat that the appointment of the new state chief was the prerogative of the Congress president.
“Had a fruitful meeting with @harishrawatcmuk. Reiterating that any decision of @INCIndia President will be acceptable to all. Raised certain issues which he said he’ll take up with @INCIndia president: @capt_amarinder,” the CM’s media adviser Raveen Thukral tweeted.
Amarinder had, in a letter to Sonia on Friday, cautioned the central leadership that if Sidhu, a Jat Sikh like him, is appointed the state unit chief, it could lead to a split in the party, besides making a mention of resentment over the neglect of senior and traditional Congressmen. He has repeatedly advocated for a Hindu face for the position. The party high command is said to be working on a truce formula of four “working presidents” with the state chief to balance the caste and religious equations.
In his meeting with Rawat, Amarinder again conveyed his displeasure over the way the central leadership handled the infighting, particularly insufficient consultation, premature announcements and deliberate leaks, said the people quoted above.
Also read: Party will suffer if Sidhu is made state unit chief: Captain to Sonia
Sidhu’s meeting spree
Sidhu, who seems confident of his appointment and prepping to hit the ground running, set out from Patiala in the morning to meet party leaders and his first of port of call was the incumbent state chief Sunil Jakhar’s residence in Panchkula.
The meeting lasted nearly 45 minutes during which he sought Jakhar’s support and margdarshan (guidance). “He (Jakhar) is an elder brother and a guiding force,” Sidhu told reporters after they came out together. Jakhar also said that Sidhu is “very capable and does not need any guidance”. Jakhar, appointed president of the state Congress in May 2017, was considered close to chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh. The two drew apart in the past four months following the state chief’s criticism of some of the CM’s decisions.
Thereafter, Sidhu reached cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa’s residence in Chandigarh where party MLAs Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Barindermeet Singh Pahra, Devender Singh Ghubaya, Kulbir Singh Zira, Darshan Singh Brar were already represent.
“Sidhu said that he has been told by the high command to start working,” one of them said.
The Amritsar East MLA later also visited cabinet ministers Balbir Singh Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh Kangar and and Punjab Mandi Board chairman Lal Singh before heading back to Patiala with Warring, Brar, Zira and Ghubaya.
