Punjab's former Chief Minister and Congress veteran Amarinder Singh is at the residence of the BJP's Amit Shah, amid speculation about his joining the party days after he stepped down from the top post in the state. Mr Singh had refused to answer questions about joining BJP -- but while resigning as the Chief Minister earlier this month, had spoken of exploring options.
Earlier in the day, Navjot Singh Sidhu has resigned as Punjab Congress chief, delivering a big shock to the Gandhis, who may have hoped that changing Chief Ministers would help end the turmoil in the state before elections early next year.
In a video message tweeted this morning, a day after his shock resignation as Punjab Congress Chief, Mr Sidhu said that he will not compromise on ethics and would "fight for truth until my last breath."
"My fight is issue-based and I have stood by it for a long time. I cannot compromise with my ethics, my moral authority. What I witness is a compromise with issues, agenda in Punjab. I cannot misguide the high command nor can I let them be misguided," Mr Sidhu said in Punjabi.
The cricketer-turned-politician tweeted a resignation letter that hinted at his unhappiness at the ongoing changes to the Punjab cabinet. "The collapse of a man's character stems from the compromise corner. I can never compromise on Punjab's future and the agenda for the welfare of Punjab. Therefore, I hereby resign as the President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. I will continue to serve the Congress," Navjot Sidhu, 57, wrote in his letter to Sonia Gandhi, which he posted on social media. He had taken charge of the party in Punjab in July.
Navjot Sidhu, say sources, was also unhappy about his rival SS Randhawa being assigned a key ministry. The double use of the word "compromise" in Mr Sidhu's resignation letter was read as a clue that he was asked to accept some unpleasant choices in the cabinet shuffle.
