Navjot Singh Sidhu will formally assume the charge of the Congress chief of the Punjab unit at a ceremony in Chandigarh on July 23.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who has been locked in a feud with Sidhu for the past some time, is unlikely to attend the event.

The Congress on July 18 appointed Sidhu as new president of the party’s Punjab unit. Sidhu replaced Sunil Jakhar who had been Punjab Pradesh Congress chief since 2017.

On Tuesday, the media advisor of the Punjab Chief Minister said that Singh will not meet Sidhu till he publicly apologises for his derogatory comments against him

“Reports of Navjot Singh Sidhu seeking time to meet Punjab CM Amarinder Singh are totally false. No time has been sought. No change in stance — CM won’t meet Sidhu till he publicly apologises for his personally derogatory social media attacks against him,” Raveen Thukral, the media advisor to the CM said on Twitter.

Earlier today, nearly 60 Congress MLAs turned up at the residence of Sidhu, in what is seen as a show of strength. The Congress has 80 MLAs in the state Assembly.

Responding to Singh’s stance that he will not meet Sidhu till he apologies, some MLAs said there was no need for it.

State’s minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, said he was surprised at the “behavior” of the Chief Minister.

“Sidhu’s elevation as state unit chief has to be respected and accepted by all, irrespective of whatever differences there might have been in the past”, he said.

MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, “I think at this level, leaders should not ask each other to apologise.”

Ahead of Sidhu’s elevation as party’s state chief, the Punjab Chief Minister had written to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi expressing strong resentment over it.

Singh, however, later said that any decision taken by the Congress president will be acceptable to all.