After meeting with Governor Banwarilal Purohit at Raj Bhawan, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh from his post. His resignation comes ahead of today’s meeting of the Congress Legislative Party.
By Vaishali Pandey/ The Newster
Captain Amarinder Singh resigned as Punjab chief minister on Saturday, citing a continuing political conflict with Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was recently chosen as the Congress’ Punjab unit chief. The resignation comes fewer than five months before Punjab’s Assembly elections, and just hours before a Congress-called CLP meeting.
Following the CM’s resignation, all of Amrinder’s cabinet ministers resigned as well. With this, the whole Cabinet would be re-created in Punjab, with a new chief minister. The Congress Legislature Party will meet today to pick a new chief minister. Sunil Jakhar, on the other hand, is leading in the race of the new Chief Minister. The disturbance at Punjab Congress Bhawan has gotten even worse.
Harish Rawat, the Punjab Congress’s in charge, and two central observers, Ajay Maken and Harish Rai Chadhairi, have arrived in Chandigarh. In the morning, Congress’ high command reportedly requested his resignation. Meanwhile, numerous leaders had arrived to see Captain Amarinder Singh, including Assembly Speaker Rana KP Singh and his senior cabinet minister Brahma Mohindera.
Amrinder Singh Felt Humiliated
The 79-year-old told a press conference outside the Raj Bhavan’s gate that he feels humiliated. “This morning, I contacted Congress President (Sonia Gandhi) and informed her that I am resigning. The issue is, this is the third time MLAs have been summoned to a meeting,” he explained.
No Plans To Quit Congress But Future Plans Are Always Open
“Future politics is always an option,” Singh said, adding that he had no intentions to leave the Congress party for the time being. He stated that he will decide on his next plan of action for future politics after consulting with his supporters.
According to political observers, the decision will damage Congress in forthcoming state elections.
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With this, the Congress followed the same suit as BJP as the latter demanded resignation from Vijay Rupani in Gujarat ahead of state assembly election.
Factionalism In The Punjab Congress Lead To This Resignation
The dispute, which was fueled by Singh and Sidhu’s competing aspirations, split the state unit, notably ministers and lawmakers, and made the party cadre fearful of its influence on election chances.
To make matters worse, both leaders were always trying to outdo each other, seldom letting go of any opportunity to bring the other down. The Punjab government’s legal loss in the 2015 Kotkapura police shooting case provided the Sidhu group more ammunition to attack Singh.
Over 50 Congress lawmakers from Punjab have written to Sonia Gandhi, the party’s president, requesting that Amarinder Singh be removed Singh from his chief ministerial post, according to high ranking party sources who spoke to PTI on Saturday before a key meeting of the Congress Legislative Party in Chandigarh.
As the party’s crisis in Punjab deepens, fueled by disputes between the chief minister and PCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu, Amarinder Singh is said to have spoken to Gandhi and voiced his displeasure at his repeated “humiliation.” The chief minister’s call to Gandhi was not confirmed by the government.
To put a full stop to rumours regarding Amarinder’s resignation, Amarinder Singh’s son Raninder minutes before his resignation, made it official with a tweet in which he said, “Haha indeed indeed must go now as I am proud to accompany my father to Raj Bhawan when he submits his resignation as CM of Punjab and leads us as head of our family into a new beginning et all.”
Role Of Congress High Command In The Whole Matter
The Congress high command, led by general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and former president Rahul Gandhi, backed Sidhu and named him state chief. But only after a public spectacle involving the parade of party leaders, including Singh, before a three-member central committee, which was broadcast live on television.
Even though the high leadership anticipated the situation to improve, it did not.
At the request of Singh’s opponents, the Congress leadership quickly summoned a CLP meeting today. Last month, dissident cabinet ministers and MLAs close to Sidhu met with Harish Rawat, the Congress national secretary in charge of Punjab affairs, to demand Singh’s removal and a CLP meeting.
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