Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence in New Delhi. The meeting was reportedly over the ongoing feud between Singh and former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu but the Punjab CM remained coy after the meeting and did not discuss any details.
Talking about the nature of his visit, Amarinder Singh said, “I had come to meet the Congress president, discussed internal matters of the party, Punjab development issue. Whatever decision she takes as far as Punjab is concerned, we are ready for it. We are totally geared up for the upcoming elections.”
When asked about his feud with Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Punjab CM said, “I don’t want to comment on Sidhu, I have come here to strengthen the party.”
Amid his tussle with Navjot Singh Sidhu, Amarinder Singh today reached the national capital to hold a meeting with Sonia Gandhi to present his side of the story.
The meeting assumed great significance as Sidhu met Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi in the national capital last week. Following his meeting with the Gandhi scions, reports had emerged that Sidhu might be given a coveted post in the Punjab Congress unit.
As per IANS report, Priyanka Gandhi reportedly suggested Sidhu’s name as the Punjab Congress chief. However, Amarinder Singh and his loyalists in the Punjab camp are against accepting such a formula.
The report further added that Punjab leaders are ready to accept Sidhu as the working president, but not as the head of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Singh wants a non-Sikh face as the state Congress president.
“Sidhu will be given a big responsibility. Things will be cleared after the meeting of Captain and top leadership. Captain Amarinder Singh is ready to discuss for the post of deputy chief minister and campaign committee chairman for Sidhu. The top leadership will take the call only after taking Captain into confidence,” ANI quoted sources as saying.
It may be noted that in what can be gauged as s show of strength by the Captain, Singh met senior party leaders in Punjab at his residence in Chandigarh on July 1, a day after Sidhu met Gandhis in the national capital.
While the two Gandhi scions met disgruntled Sidhu, Amarinder Singh was allegedly given a cold shoulder to Congress top leadership who also visited the national capital for three days. Singh, however, met the All India Congress Committee (AICC) panel which is tasked to end the factionalism in the Punjab unit.
Earlier, Harish Rawat, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Punjab in-charge, had stated that Sonia Gandhi would resolve the infighting in the state Congress unit and the party will contest the 2022 Assembly elections unitedly.
