Punjab factionalism: Amarinder puts ball in Sonia’s court after over hour-long meeting

Tribune News Service

New Delhi/Chandigarh, July 5

“Whatever Sonia Gandhi decides about the party in Punjab will be acceptable to us and we will implement her will,” Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said after meeting the Congress president at her residence in Delhi on Tuesday.

“I do not know anything about Navjot Singh Sidhu. We discussed government and political issues,” Amarinder Singh said as he came out of the meeting that lasted nearly an-hour-and-a-half.

The Punjab CM said he discussed government’s developmental agenda with Sonia Gandhi and political issues related to Punjab. “I told the party president that whatever she wants on the development front was being implemented.”

Amarinder’s silence on truce formulation after the meeting puts the ball in Sonia Gandhi’s court saying her decision will be acceptable.

It remains to be seen now as to what formulation Sonia Gandhi finalises for Punjab to end the Capt-Sidhu friction.

The Punjab Chief Minister meeting with Sonia Gandhi on the resolution of Punjab factionalism came days after former Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu met with party leaders Priyanka Vadra Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Mallikarjun Kharge, chairman of the AICC panel on Punjab, was called in by Sonia Gandhi to the meeting.

The panel input was to be taken into consideration before finalising the PCC and Cabinet reshuffle.

The high command was expected to discuss the progress made regarding the 18-point agenda handed over to Captain a few days ago as well as the caste matrix to recast the Pradesh Congress.

It may be mentioned that Punjab affairs in-charge and AICC general secretary Harish Rawat had said Sidhu would be given a crucial role to ensure the party retained power in the state. Sources did not rule out discussions on the CM face for the crucial 2022 Assembly elections.

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