Form of words:
Chandigarh: The Congress high command has called a meeting of the Punjab Congress Legislature Party in Chandigarh this evening, leaving Captain Amarinder Singh’s camp furious and raising speculation about the chief minister’s future.
The party’s Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Rawat tweeted around midnight last night that “AICC has received a representation from a large number of Congress party MLAs requesting to convene an immediate meeting of CLP of Punjab.”
“Accordingly, a meeting of the CLP has been called on 18th at 5 pm.”thSept in PPCC office… All Congress MLAs are requested to kindly attend this meeting,” he tweeted.
AICC has received a representation from a large number of MLAs of the Congress Party, requesting to convene an immediate meeting of the Congress Legislature Party of Punjab. Accordingly, the meeting of CLP will be held on 18th September at 5:00 PM…..1/2. called on pic.twitter.com/BT5mKEnDs5
— Harish Rawat (@harishrawatcmuk) September 17, 2021
Rawat had earlier created a ruckus about changing the guard with this move. declared That the 2022 assembly elections will be fought under the leadership of Amarinder. Rawat had cleared the party’s stand last month after four cabinet ministers who claimed the support of at least three dozen MLAs met Rawat in Dehradun and demanded a change of CM in Punjab.
After Rawat’s statement, there was no fresh reply by Amarinder’s opponents, led by party president Navjot Singh Sidhu.
The late night tweet has added to the uneasiness in the Amarinder camp. “The manner in which the meeting has been called is not healthy,” a close aide of the chief minister told ThePrint this morning. “A CLP meeting has been called without the knowledge of the Chairman of the CLP.”
The aide said the chief minister has called a meeting of ministers and MLAs who supported him for a meeting at his official residence here this afternoon to clarify his strategy for the evening’s meeting.
Read also: Former IPS Officer, Diplomat, Activist, Philanthropist – AAP’s search for CM face of Punjab
a mystery letter
According to Rawat’s tweet, a fresh letter by the MLAs requesting for a CLP meeting seems to be the trigger for the meeting.
But the existence of such a letter is shrouded in mystery. A section of the media earlier this week informed of That at least 40 MLAs, including four cabinet ministers, had written to the party high command demanding a meeting of the CLP.
But even legislators in the camp opposing Amarinder say no fresh letter has been written and the only letter sent to the party high command was after a meeting of the opposition camp at cabinet minister Tript’s residence earlier this month. . Rajinder Singh Bajwa
“There is no new letter that I have signed. This is the result of the first letter written before the one-day assembly session,” said cabinet minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, one of the four cabinet ministers of the Sidhu camp.
Tript Bajwa told ThePrint this morning that the letter’s existence is no longer an important question. “The situation has gone far beyond any letter,” he said.
The prospect of a nearly month-old letter being taken up for sudden action has reinforced the widespread belief among legislators that the Punjab CM will be replaced. Some are sure that change is about to come.
“Now the question is who will it be,” said a legislator from Amarinder’s rival camp.
potential precursor
A section of Amarinder’s detractors say Gurdaspur MP Pratap Singh Bajwa, PPCC chief Navjot Sidhu and cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa are the frontrunners in the race for CM. All three are Jat Sikhs.
Cabinet minister Tript Bajwa, among the hopefuls, is said to have dropped his claim. Cabinet minister Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit, is also in the mix, but as deputy chief minister.
There is another section among MLAs who say that the leader who replaces the CM does not necessarily have to be from the rival’s camp. “If someone from Amarinder’s camp is made the chief minister, it will be easier to deal with any rebellion in his camp,” he said. Also it doesn’t have to be a Sikh face,” said a senior Congress leader.
The names of former PPCC president Sunil Jakhar, Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari, cabinet minister Brahm Mohindra and speaker Rana Kanwar Pal are also in the news. “If a Hindu is made the chief minister of Punjab, it will be disastrous. Punjab is the only state in India where a Sikh can hope to become the chief minister,” said a cabinet minister speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
However, others believe that a Hindu as Chief Minister, a Jat Sikh as PPCC President and a Dalit as Deputy CM would be the ideal electoral combination to ensure the party’s victory in the upcoming elections.
(Edited by Arun Prashant)
Read also: Amarinder’s 5 Vs Sidhu’s 5 – Key Players Of Punjab Congress Fight For Supremacy
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