In a jolt to rebels demanding removal of Punjab Chief Minister, party general secretary and state in-charge Harish Rawat on Wednesday said 2022 Punjab Assembly polls will be fought under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh.
Along with three Congress legislators, four ministers including Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Charanjeet Singh Channi and Sukhbinder Sarkaria met Rawat in Dehradun in order to get the CM replaced at the earliest.
This was a day after four ministers, claiming support of about two dozen legislators, declared loss of faith in the CM and decided to take up Amarinder’s removal with the Congress high command.
Sources said much to their disappointment, Rawat ruled out removing the CM and even went further by making it clear the next election will be fought under the leadership of Amarinder Singh.
“Four ministers and three MLAs met me. They expressed their concerns and said that they’re concerned about the chances of the party’s victory in the state. They said they’re not against anyone, they want to go to the polls with a clear roadmap so that we win. They also had some grievances about the functioning of the state and district administrations. If a Congress MLA considers himself insecure and thinks that the administration can try to make them lose or work against them, then it’s a matter of concern,” Rawat said after the meeting.
In a warning to Navjot Singh Sidhu who has recently courted controversy over the remarks of his advisors and closeness to the anti-Amarinder ministers and legislators, Rawat said Punjab Congress chief needs to mend his ways. “Sidhu has come from a different environment and we have entrusted him with the responsibility of the post of Congress president in Punjab after seeing many things. It does not mean that the entire Congress has been handed over to him. The truth is that we will go to the polls in 2022 under the leadership of Amarinder Singh,” he said.
Rawat said there’s no threat to the party or government in Punjab. “There’s no threat to chances of our victory either. These people themselves will give way to chances of our victory. A solution will be brought,” he added.
Meanwhile, another delegation comprising Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary in-charge Pargat Singh has already reached Delhi and is trying to meet Congress general secretary KC Venugopal.
Back in Punjab, two more Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), who attended the Tuesday meeting following which the demand for the CM’s removal was made, backtracked. They include Nathu Ram and Satkar Kaur. Nathu Ram said he never conveyed to anyone that he wanted the CM replaced and that he was unhappy with his work.
Satkar issued a press release stating she went for the meeting as she was invited for it saying that it will discuss that the works were not being done in the constituencies. She said she had all the confidence in Amarinder as the CM. On Tuesday night, seven other MLAs, whose support was claimed by the rebels for the CM’s removal, had denied if they were part of such a move.