Within a month after Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed as Punjab Congress president, his loyalists on Tuesday raised a banner of revolt against Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and announced that they have no faith in his (Captain's) leadership.
After a meeting at the residence of Cabinet minister, Tript Singh Bajwa, four ministers, and some MLAs revolted against the incumbent Chief Minister for, what they alleged, his failure to fulfill the election promises. The dissidents indirectly demanded Captain's replacement to 'save' the Congress in coming assembly elections.
Four ministers namely Tript Rajinder Bajwa, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Sukhbinder Sarkaria, Charanjit Channi, and also Punjab Congress general secretary Pargat Singh were at the forefront in raising the banner of revolt against Captain Amarinder Singh.
Interacting with media persons after the meeting, Pargat Singh, a close-confident of Sidhu said that there was dissatisfaction among the MLAs regarding the failure of the government to fulfill election promises.
Ignoring Capt, Congress appointed Sidhu as party chief on July 18
Outrightly rejecting objections of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the Congress high command had appointed cricketer-turned-politician and former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief on July 18 this year.
While Sidhu was appointed as party chief, four working presidents were also appointed to placate the sulking Chief Minister. Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Pawan Goel, and Kuljit Singh Nagra are appointed as working presidents.
Amarinder Singh had written a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and expressed displeasure at the party's handling of infighting in the state unit by succumbing before the pressure tactics of Sidhu.
Within days after the appointment of Sidhu as party chief, dissidents have intensified their campaign to replace Captain Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister of Punjab before assembly polls. After mobilizing support for a month, loyalists of Sidhu on Tuesday raised an open revolt against Captain.
Five-member delegation to meet Sonia Gandhi
After raising a revolt against Chief Minister, the dissidents announced that a five-member delegation will meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi to apprise her about the prevailing situation in Punjab.
The delegation will comprise four ministers of the Captain's government and Punjab Congress general secretary Pargat Singh.
Meanwhile, Sidhu slams Punjab Govt on the sugarcane issue
Amid the ongoing agitation of farmers, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu criticized his party's government in Punjab on the sugarcane issue.
"The sugarcane farmers issue needs to be immediately resolved amicably …. Strange that despite the higher cost of cultivation in Punjab the state assured price is too low as compared to Haryana / UP / Uttarakhand. As a torchbearer of agriculture, the Punjab state advised price (SAP) should be better !", Sidhu tweeted.
