Ravneet Bittu has been critical of Navjot Sidhu, Charanjeet Singh Channi and Amarinder Singh.
Ravneet Singh Bittu, the Congress's senior leader from Ludhiana, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Monday in what is being seen as a precursor to his changing camp. Mr Bittu said the meeting was meant to discuss "Punjab issues". Sources close to him denied that he is joining BJP and said the Prime Minister wants him to fight with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab.
Mr Bittu -- seen more as a Hindu face of the party since the assassination of his grandfather, the former Chief Minister Beant Singh in 1995 -- had tweeted photographs of the meeting.
The terse caption accompanying the images read, "Today met the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Sh. @narendramodi ji and discussed issues of Punjab".
Today met the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Sh. @narendramodi ji and discussed issues of Punjab pic.twitter.com/v4k847iX6Y
— Ravneet Singh Bittu (@RavneetBittu) April 4, 2022
The state Congress, which has gone into silent mode after its shock defeat to the Aam Aadmi Party in the recently concluded assembly elections, is yet to comment on the meeting. Party leaders in Delhi indicated that too much should not be read into the meeting.
The Congress has been in considerable disarray in Punjab since the results of the elections were announced last month.
Arvind Kejriwal's AAP had registered a landslide victory in the elections, relegating the Congress, the BJP and the local force Akali Dal to the margins. The Congress won only 18 seats, down from 77 seats in 2017.
Soon after, as the blame game started within the party and the G23 -- leaders critical of the Gandhis -- became active again, state Congress chief Navjot Sidhu had to step down. His successor is yet to be announced.
No one has been appointed the leader of the opposition in the assembly either.
Mr Bittu – an MP from Ludhiana seen as being close to Rahul Gandhi -- has been upset with the Congress for some time as he was not considered for the posts of the Chief Minister or the state president.
The 46-year-old has been critical of Mr Sidhu, former Chief Ministers Charanjeet Singh Channi and Amarinder Singh.
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