At Delhi meet, Capt Amarinder Singh ‘opposes’ Punjab Congress chief role for Navjot Singh Sidhu

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 5

As the three-member panel headed by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge went into a huddle to finalise its report in Delhi, the dissident group in the Punjab Congress is learnt to have decided to sustain its pressure against CM Capt Amarinder Singh ahead of a decision by the party high command.

Amid reports from the party circles that there will be no change in the state leadership, the dissidents plan a meeting in the coming days to strategise on the future course of action.

As more details of the meeting between the panel and CM emerge, it is learnt Captain Amarinder, while listing out facts and figures, has not agreed to the appointment of Navjot Singh Sidhu as PPCC president. In the event of change of guard in the PPCC, there is likelihood of the Rahul Gandhi team zeroing in on a Dalit or Hindu face, agreeable to the CM. The post of chairman of the campaign committee may be offered to Sidhu.

The CM is learnt to have said the details to the Vigilance complaint against Sidhu and complaint against Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh from the District Congress Committee office had already been forwarded to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. The issues were not discussed in yesterday’s meeting, it is learnt.

The panel is said to have asked the CM about the delay in probe into sacrilege and police firing cases, renegotiating or annulling power purchase agreements, inadequate appointment of political class as chairman in boards and corporations. The CM is learnt to have provided details of posting of officers, other than DCs and SSPs, made on the recommendations of the ministers and MLAs.

Before and after CM’s meeting with the panel, Lok Sabha MPs Gurjeet Aujla, Ravneet Bittu, Manish Tewari besides others played a crucial role in countering the dissidents in the top party circles in Delhi.

The CM’s camp is surprised at once Captain Amarinder loyalists — ministers Sukhbinder Sarkaria and Tript Rajinder Bajwa — joining hands with the dissidents. Meanwhile, the BJP today said the CM should not have used the agencies and police to collect data on the nefarious activities of Congress leaders and should have registered cases against them. 

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