I resigned as I felt humiliated, says Punjab CM Amarinder Singh; MLAs ask Sonia Gandhi to select successor

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday resigned from the post after a day-long political drama and said he resigned as he felt humiliated. At the same time, he said the "future politics option is always there and I will use that option".

"I have given my resignation. The future politics option is always there and I will use that option," the Chief Minister, who was active in the politics for 52 years, told the media after resigning from the post.

Without mincing words, he clarified that, "I have not resigned from myself... I am in Congress, will discuss with my colleagues and then decide the future course of action."

Justifying his decision on his resignation in less than six months of the state going to polls, Amarinder Singh said, in the past two months the high command summoned the legislators thrice.

"I had decided in the morning. I had spoken to the Congress President in the morning. I had told her I am resigning," Amarinder Singh said. The resignation of the Chief Minister and his council of minister came just minutes ahead of a crucial meeting of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP).

The party's high command is learnt to have conveyed to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to resign to enable the election of a new incumbent. According to some senior party leaders, the high command had categorically asked Amarinder Singh to step down.

CLP Meeting

The minute-by-minute changing political tussle began at about 11.42 p.m. on Friday when Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat tweeted about the decision to hold an urgent CLP meeting on Saturday.

Almost 10 minutes later state party chief Navjot Sidhu directed all the MLAs to be present at the CLP meeting. The announcement by Rawat was seen as an indication from the high command to appoint the new incumbent under whose helm the party will go to Assembly polls, slated in March 2022.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting called to select the successor to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, ended with the legislators unanimously passing a resolution authorising interim party President Sonia Gandhi to pick the new leader.

A total of 78 out of the 80 MLAs, barring Amarinder Singh and another member, authorised Sonia Gandhi to pick the new CLP leader, the party's state in-charge Harish Rawat told the media.

"Two resolutions -- one praising Amarinder Singh's contributions towards Punjab and another authorising President Sonia Gandhi to select the new CLP leader -- were unanimously passed," he said.

The party high command had deputed Ajay Maken and Harish Chowdhry as central observers for the CLP meeting along with Rawat.

(With inputs from IANS)