Congress President Sonia Gandhi has spoken to Punjab Chief Minister Capt (Retd) Amarinder Singh after around 40 MLAs wrote letters to the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting.
Although there has been no official statement from the party, sources said. Hindu That the option of Captain Amarinder to step down gracefully may come up for discussion.
Once considered one of the most powerful leaders of the Congress erosion of support The Chief Minister of Punjab has been fast and almost overnight.
“They [the high command] Trying to install a Hindu leader as Chief Minister by installing a Jats Sikh of their choice [Navjot Sidhu] State Congress Committee [PCC] President. The people of Punjab will not accept it. Amarinder Singh Camp said Hindu.
Among the names being discussed, former PCC chief and Gandhi family loyalist Sunil Jakhar is leading the way. In fact, both AICC observers – ministers in the Rajasthan government Harish Choudhary and Ajay Maken – are considered close to former party chief Rahul Gandhi.
However, AICC leaders maintain that there has been no political interference by the high command. Harish Rawat – AICC in-charge of Punjab – had publicly stated several times that the party would go to polls with Captain Amarinder as the chief minister.
However, several Congress MLAs are said to have bluntly told Mr Rawat that the party would not win next year’s elections under Captain Amarinder’s leadership.
Appearing before a panel headed by Mallikarjun Kharge in June, resolve bitter factionalism In the state, several legislators complained about the “inaccessibility of the chief minister and complete control over the administration by the bureaucrats”.
Though the Kharge panel had given the Punjab government an 18-point agenda to focus and fulfill, not much progress could be made.
Mr Sidhu, the newly appointed PCC chief, kept on attacking and make a public statement daily against amarinder singh government
Several Congress MPs urged the central leadership to act quickly, as the ongoing political turmoil in the state would allow the opposition to dissolve the assembly and contest elections around February next year under President’s rule.
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