In what is being seen as yet another round of confrontation between Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, the latter on Thursday said he would go on a hunger strike against the Congress government if the state did not make it public. . Report on the incidence of drug menace and sacrilege.
#Watch , Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has said that he will go on a hunger strike against the state government if the report on the menace of drugs and sacrilege is not made public by the state government. pic.twitter.com/xfb0cb2xuG— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2021
The development comes two days after the two held discussions with Congress leaders in Delhi to chalk out a strategy for the upcoming state assembly elections. Both Channi and Sidhu, accompanied by AICC in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Choudhary, had reached the national capital on Monday afternoon and later met at the party’s ‘war room’ office.
Read also: CM Channi and Sidhu interact with Congress leaders to develop strategy for Punjab Assembly elections
This is not the first time that Sidhu has launched a direct attack on the new Chief Minister. Channi has been at loggerheads in the government over the appointment of former cricketer APS Deol as advocate general and the two have publicly clashed over a legal battle over the 2015 sacrilege cases.
Channi had turned down the resignation tendered by Advocate General APS Deol in early November. Sources then told News18 that Deol was upset by the statements of senior Congress leaders, including Sidhu, as the Advocate General had actually tendered his resignation, which was rejected by the Chief Minister. While the government and the chief minister remained silent on the resignation controversy, sources said, Channi was annoyed by the PCC chief’s relentless attacks on him in public.
Later, Pargat Singh, the state minister and Sidhu’s aide, was asked to call the angry leader and attend a meeting with the CM and state in-charge Harish Choudhary. In the meeting, Sidhu made it clear that he would not back down until the Advocate General was removed. And in a press conference, Sidhu said that while he was withdrawing his resignation, he would enter the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office only after the Chief Minister had accepted the resignation of the AG.
Sources said the CM made another attempt to convince the top leadership as well as Sidhu that an amicable middle ground can be found.
However, Sidhu refused to accept it. He was well aware that this was a high moral ground he was taking, so he tactfully decided to go to the Dera Baba Nanak check-post and urged the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor with Pakistan. Hours later, Channi made a similar request.
A day earlier, Sidhu took a veiled attack on Channi by criticizing “politicians” who had announced freebies ahead of the elections. Channi has been announcing several concessions for some time now putting pressure on the exchequer.
In the same week, he also attacked the Channi government over the delay in filing a petition against blanket bail to former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in the Behbal Kalan firing case. Sidhu said the Channi government lacked political will to deal with such cases, accusing the ruling government of delaying in filing the special leave petition against the blanket bail granted to former DGP Saini, who was involved in the Behbal Kalan police firing cases. One of the designated key persons. ,
He further said that it has been more than six months for the new SIT to complete the investigation in the Kotkapura police firing case and so far no concrete steps have been taken for justice. He again hit out at the DGP and AG saying that the party can either choose the compromising officers or them.
In a veiled attack on Channi, Sidhu said, “I stand on principles and high moral ground, and am not one of those who changed their stand after the ouster of Captain Amarinder Singh.” And the state government was considered to lack “will” to deliver justice.
The two leaders are likely to show their strength again after the announcement of the dates for the assembly elections to be held next year. The next big challenge for the Congress party will be ticket distribution in Punjab as both Channi and Sidhu would like to ensure that most of their supporters are chosen as candidates. Because whoever will have the support of the maximum number of MLAs, he will wear the crown of Punjab.
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