Navjot Sidhu has been upset about Charanjit Channi's choice of Attorney General, police chief, ministers.
A new Chief Minister of Punjab will be decided after the state election, the Congress said today, attempting to stave off a brewing Navjot Singh Sidhu versus Charanjit Singh Channi clash at least till early next year.
Harish Rawat, the Congress's Punjab in-charge, also told NDTV today that Navjot Sidhu "is the Punjab Congress chief", shutting down talk about the sulking cricketer-turned-politician's resignation last month, just four months before the party seeks re-election in assembly polls.
"Both will be working together, winning the election and then Congress president will decide on the Chief Minister," Mr Rawat said, responding to reports of tension between Mr Sidhu and the man who replaced his long-time rival Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister.
Mr Sidhu has been upset about Mr Channi's choice of Attorney General, police chief and ministers.
In the latest display of discord, Mr Sidhu skipped Mr Channi's son's wedding and posted on his trip to Vaishno Devi on Sunday. He also tweeted advice to his own party government to "prevent and prepare, rather than repent and repair", on the coal crisis.
Mr Rawat brushed off any dispute and blamed reports on "the extra interest the media has in Sidhu".
"He was governed by emotion. He has not committed anything wrong that can be an embarrassment for the party," Mr Rawat said.
Any conflict over appointments would be sorted out by the Chief Minister and Punjab Congress chief, he insisted. "They will both work together on the issues of the Attorney General and Director General of Police. There is only a small issue which has been resolved," he said.
On reports that Mr Sidhu had not taken back his resignation yet, Mr Rawat said: "He is working as Congress chief...We don't know about his resignation?"
Mr Rawat's comments come after another set of comments from Mr Sidhu, deeply embarrassing for the Congress.
Mr Sidhu was heard criticising his party at a protest over the killing of farmers by a Union Minister's convoy in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh. "If Bhagwant Sidhu's son (referring to himself) had been allowed to lead, then you would have seen... Congress is in dying stages...," he said, appearing to target Mr Channi.