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.
Here are the Highlights on Punjab Congress Crisis:
- The stability of Congress party is very essential for the idea of India. People are looking for alternative and it is imperative that we measure up to the people's expectation
- G-23 is a figment of imagination of media. You must understand the whole thing is not about numerical but it's about an idea
- There are people in AICC who have specific responsibilities. When Asha Kumari was in-charge, there was stability, we are seeing this stability since the May of 2020.
New Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi today said he has spoken to Navjot Sidhu, who stepped down from the party's top post recently, suggesting that they talk out the issues on which he has objections. "Nothing has been done intentionally. If anybody has objection on any appointment, then i am not rigid on that... I don't have ego tussles... I told him party is supreme, let's talk," Mr Channi told reporters today.
A day after Navjot Singh Sidhu's shock resignation as Punjab Congress chief, the party has reached out to him but he has refused to budge. "I will fight for the truth until the last breath," Mr Sidhu said in a video post this morning.
Navjot Singh Sidhu was reportedly upset at Rana Gurjit Singh being included in the cabinet again. Mr Singh has been accused of a role in a sand mining scam and quit the Amarinder Singh cabinet in 2018. He was later cleared by an inquiry panel.
OP Soni's appointment as the second Deputy Chief Minister to Charanjit Singh Channi was believed to be a sore point.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi flew into Kerala this morning, even as his party battles a fresh leadership crisis in poll-bound Punjab, where Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned yesterday as chief of the state unit.
A day after Navjot Singh Sidhu's shock resignation as Punjab Congress chief, the party has reached out to him but he has apparently refused to budge. "I will fight for truth till the last breath," Mr Sidhu said in a video this morning.
Navjot Singh Sidhu's resignation as Punjab Congress Chief has plunged the party into a deep crisis just four months before polls. Mr Sidhu was believed to be upset about the key home ministry being assigned to Deputy Chief Minister SS Randhawa, his rival. He had earlier strongly opposed any talk of elevating Mr Randhawa as Chief Minister following Amarinder Singh's resignation.
Navjot Singh Sidhu remained the top trend on Twitter on Tuesday after his shock move of resigning as the Punjab Congress chief. The cricketer-turned-politician announced his resignation on his Twitter account where he also stated that he would remain in the Congress. After the news broke, even as social media users came up with one-lines and memes to express their surprise, many criticised the Congress leadership.
Amarinder Singh, after delivering a "told-you-so" barb at the Gandhis on rival Navjot Singh Sidhu's shock resignation as Punjab Congress chief, stacked up more digs at the cricketer-turned-politician. Navjot Sidhu's resignation within two months of taking over the vital post was "sheer drama" and suggests that he is preparing to quit the Congress and join hands with another party ahead of polls early next year, the former Punjab Chief Minister said on Tuesday.
Earlier, he had tweeted: "I told you so...he is not a stable man and not fit for the border state of Punjab."
