Is Punjab set to get a new Chief Minister? Even as speculation is rife that the Congress high command has sought the CM Captain Amarinder Singh’s resignation, the urgent Congress Legislator Party (CLP) meeting Saturday evening could pave way for a new CM as rebels claim a majority of Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are in factor of the CM’s removal in order to retain power in Punjab in 2022 Assembly polls.

The CLP meeting, called late last night after four rebel ministers and MLAs wrote a letter to the Congress high command demanding this meeting to prove that Amarinder lacks faith of a majority of 80 MLAs, is being seen as a vindication of the party’s ploy to change the CM months ahead of 2022 Assembly polls in a bid to counter the strong anti-incumbency against the Amarinder Singh government.

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An advisor of Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu who is seen as an architect of this rebellion, Mohammad Mustafa indicated it’s time for a change for leadership in Punjab. In a tweet, he said the moment has come to liberate 79 of 80 Congress MLAs and he thanked party leadership for this opportunity.

“LIBERATE CONG MOMENT FOR 79/80 LEGISLATORS TO REDEEM THE PARTY AND ITS HONOUR. BIG TNK YOU, PARTY LEADERSHIP FOR THE OPPORTUNITY 2/N,” Mustafa said in a tweet.

LIBERATE CONG MOMENT FOR 79/80 LEGISLATORS TO REDEEM THE PARTY AND ITS HONOUR. BIG TNK YOU, PARTY LEADERSHIP FOR THE OPPORTUNITY 2/N

— MOHD MUSTAFA, FORMER IPS (@MohdMustafaips) September 18, 2021

In another tweet, Mustafa said in the 2017 Assembly polls, Punjab gave Congress 80 MLAs but the Congressmen didn’t get a party CM but now after four years of agonising wait, today was an opportunity to choose and reelect a Congress CM.

“2017, PUNJAB GVE CONG 80 MLAs. SADLY, PARADOXICALLY CONGMEN DIDN’T GET A CONG CM AS YET. TIME TO HVE ONE AFTER A LONG AGONIZING WAIT OF 4 AND HALF YRS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE ONE AND RELCT CONG AGAIN TO HVE PARTY CM WITH PAIN OF PUNJAB AND PUNJABIES AT HEART FOR 5 YRS 1/N,” he said in the tweet. In his third tweet, Mustafa shared a video of a Bollywood song “jiska mujhe tha intezaar …” (The moment I was waiting for has come).

2017,PUNJAB GVE CONG 80 MLAs. SADLY, PARADOXICALLY CONGMEN DIDN’T GET A CONG CM AS YET. TIME TO HVE ONE AFTER A LONG AGONIZING WAIT OF 4 AND HALF YRS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE ONE AND RELCT CONG AGAIN TO HVE PARTY CM WITH PAIN OF PUNJAB AND PUNJABIES AT HEART FOR 5 YRS 1/N

— MOHD MUSTAFA, FORMER IPS (@MohdMustafaips) September 18, 2021

Sources said ahead of the CLP meeting at 5 p.m., the CM Amarinder’s has called party MLAs for a meeting at his residence in a bid to garner support against the move to replace him. But some MLAs close to the CM claim to have received phone calls from senior party leaders in New Delhi against attending any such meeting before the CLP meeting.