New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): As senior Congress leaders are reaching Punjab for a crucial Legislature Party meeting on Saturday, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh met party MLAs who are loyal to him at his official residence in Chandigarh.
The Congress Legislature Party called a meeting after four rebel ministers and MLAs wrote to the Congress high command demanding opportunity to prove that Amarinder Singh lacks faith of a majority of 80 party MLAs.
Meanwhile, Raveen Thukral, Media Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister said Amarinder Singh will address a press conference at Punjab Raj Bhawan Gate at 4:30 pm today.
The tussle between the leaders scooped in August when Congress High Command relented to rebel MLA Najot Singh Sidhu's demands and appointed him the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee replacing Sunil Jakhar, despite Chief Minister's apprehension.
In order to balance the power between Amarinder Singh and Sidhu, Congress appointed four Working presidents to the state unit – Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Pawan Goel, and Kuljit Singh Nagra. Sidhu later, once again rallied up the Chief Minister, demanding him to fulfil the 18 points promised by the Congress ahead of polls in February 2022.
Earlier on September 2, Congress Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat said that all is not well with the Congress party in the state and had admitted that there were still some issues that are being resolved.
On September 8, Rawat had told ANI that the people assume party leaders in Punjab are fighting because the "brave" leaders put forward their opinion strongly.
Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Charanjit Singh Channi and three-party legislators, who wanted Amarinder Singh to be replaced, had gone to Dehradun to meet Rawat on August 25.
Even Sidhu, who was declared the Punjab Congress chief in July after weeks of infighting and in face of strong opposition by Captain Amarinder Singh, kept pulling up the government for not fulfilling the pre-poll promises.
After the change of guard in Punjab with the appointment of new state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, a Cabinet reshuffle was scheduled on the cards.
Amarinder Singh, who served as Captain in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, took the oath as the 26th Chief Minister of Punjab in 2017 after Congress won the Assembly Elections with the majority.
Singh served as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee from 2010 to 2013.
Punjab is among the last remaining three Congress-ruled states, the other two being Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The election is due next year in Punjab and the party high command is making all efforts to bring the rift within control. (ANI)