Captain Amarinder resigns as Chief Minister amid turmoil in Punjab Congress

 

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has resigned ahead of the crucial meeting of the Congress Legislature Party to be held on Saturday evening. He has submitted his resignation after meeting Governor Banwarilal Purohit.

The decision came after a meeting of MLAs close to him at the Chief Minister's official residence in Chandigarh. Earlier in the day, Amarinder Singh called up Congress President Sonia Gandhi and expressed grief over the "insult" she received, sources said.

Captain Amarinder resigns as Chief Minister amid turmoil in Punjab Congress

 The Chief Minister's media advisor tweeted, "Punjab CM Amarinder Singh will address a press conference at Punjab Raj Bhavan Gate at 4.30 pm." After this, he will meet Governor Banwarilal Purohit, sources said.

More than 50 party legislators have written to Gandhi demanding the replacement of Amarinder Singh as the chief minister, a development that comes nearly four months ahead of the assembly elections in the state.

CM Yogi unveils Agra and Kanpur Metro, said – work of UP Metro Corporation on a war footing

The MLAs, in their letter, demanded a meeting of the CLP to be held at Congress Bhawan in Chandigarh at 5 pm on Friday. The high command has deputed senior party leaders Ajay Maken and Harish Chaudhary as central observers.

AICC general secretary in charge of the party's Punjab affairs Harish Rawat will also be present during the meeting.

The unrest in the state unit does not bode well for the Congress in Punjab, where it is hoping to come back to power. It was expected that peace would return after Amarinder Singh's arch-rival Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed PCC president.

 Sources said Sidhu, who is eyeing the chief minister's post, is unlikely to be a possible replacement for the chief minister. 

who will be the vice-captain of team India

 He said Congress was trying to balance the equations in the state and was likely to appoint a Hindu face to the top post. 

The name of former PCC president Sunil Jakhar is in the news. Jakhar, who is not an MLA, is considered close to the top leadership. 

Sources termed the current crisis as "serious", with several MLAs so close to the elections demanding the replacement of the chief minister. In a cryptic tweet, Jakhar lauded Rahul Gandhi for the "bold" solution taken in Punjab to resolve the leadership crisis. 

He said, “Congratulations Mr. Rahul Gandhi for adopting the Alexandria solution for this Punjabi version of the Gordian knot. Amazingly, this bold decision to resolve the Punjab Congress mess has not only enthused Congress workers, but shook the spine of the Akalis." The dispute between the two factions has been going on for a long time and Amarinder Singh was strongly opposing the appointment of Sidhu as the PCC chief. 

Sidhu has been at loggerheads with Amarinder Singh ever since he left the Punjab cabinet as a minister in 2019. He had become more vocal in his views in the last few months. 

 Sidhu's principal strategic advisor and former IPS officer Mohammad Mustafa said in a tweet that the time has come to be a "Congress CM" after a "long painful wait" of four and a half years. 

 "Today is the time to reform the curriculum," Mustafa said, referring to the meeting. Mustafa's wife Razia Sultana is a cabinet minister in the Amarinder Singh-led government. 

 Last month, four ministers and nearly two dozen party legislators raised a revolt against the Punjab chief minister, saying they had no faith in Amarinder Singh's ability to deliver on unfulfilled promises.