Punjab Congress In-charge Closely Following Developments In State, Says Party

The Congress on Wednesday said AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat is closely following the political developments in the state and is in the best position to comment on the matter.

Plunging the Congress into a fresh crisis months ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, Navjot Singh Sidhu quit as the party's state unit chief on Tuesday, shortly after the allocation of portfolios among the members of the new state cabinet led by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.

Asked about the dramatic developments in Punjab, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said Mr Rawat is closely monitoring the situation and is completely aware of all the happenings which she may not be and therefore, she would not like to comment on it.

Shrinate told reporters that since Rawat is the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Punjab, he is in the best position to answer queries on developments in the party's state unit and should be contacted for comments.

However, Mr Rawat could not be reached for a comment.

Talking to reporters, Shrinate also raised the issue of a news anchor using a derogatory term during a television debate on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.

She condemned the use of the term as "deplorable" and alleged that some in the media had become "puppets" in the hands of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)